


Heroes in 100 Words

by SaraNoH



Category: Captain America (Movies), Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-28
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-17 06:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 94
Words: 50,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/548395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraNoH/pseuds/SaraNoH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles, each 100 words long, that take place in and around the Avengers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Team

**Author's Note:**

> The chapter title will let you know who is the focus for that particular set of five (or ten) drabbles.
> 
> If you have some prompt ideas to share, please let me know what they are. I can usually fit them in about 95% of the time. The rest of the time I rely on random word generators.

**Classic**

"Let's go, Cap."

"Tony, it's fine."

"No, actually it's not. It's embarrassing. I have an image to maintain and I can't go out with you looking like that."

"There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing."

"Everything is wrong. You ironed pleats into your khakis. And you're  _wearing_  khakis. Shopping time—let's go."

Steve sighed but followed Tony anyway. Stark promised to let him keep his leather jacket, but demanded that he revamped the remainder of his wardrobe. He promised to keep his look "classic", but Steve was unsure someone who only wore shirts with band names knew what that meant.

**Unproven**

Of course he built himself armor; he'd been doing it all his life. Except now he had a physical manifestation. Anyone who looked closely at Tony Stark for more than three seconds could spot what he was constantly trying to hide—insecurity. Years of attempting to live up to a father's legacy and a board of directors' demands burdened him with the constant need of having to prove himself worthy. And now as the one who didn't have training from a military or intelligence agency, super serum, radiation, or the title of a god, he felt the weight even more.

**Individual**

They were a ticking time bomb. Sure they'd come through and saved the world a time or two now, but there were still teamwork issues. With the exception of the Captain, and possibly Thor, these were individuals who'd spent the majority of their lives depending solely on themselves. It was a wonder they could work together at all.

And whichever SHIELD agent it was that convinced Steve Rogers that it would be a good idea to schedule team-building time at a ropes course too early on a Saturday morning deserved to be used as a punching bag, burned, and shot.

**Feminine**

"I don't understand how you do it, Natasha."

"Do what?"

"Keep your hair and make-up all perfect, even in a fight" Tony muttered while waving a hand in the general direction of her face.

"Showers help, Stark."

"Hey, I'm clean."

"You have motor oil on your forehead."

"It's part of my bad boy charm."

Natasha rolled her eyes and stalked off. Honestly she didn't mind being the sole female on the team, but there were times that being surrounded constantly by males was enough to drive a girl to the practice range to throw knives for a few hours.

Idiots.

**Epitaph**

The headstone was simple, clean, and elegant, much like the man it memorialized. It said his name, noted his service in the military, included the dates of his birth and when Loki stabbed him, but nothing else. Of course there couldn't be any mention of his work with SHIELD. That would require more than a handful of people to know about it.

No epitaph.

As he stood looking at his own headstone, Phil Coulson wasn't sure to be relieved or worried that Clint hadn't scratched in any of the number of epitaphs he'd swore at him on their missions together.


	2. Tony

**Confusion**

It's weird to admit that it was times of silence that confused him the most, but when you're in the situation of fighting psychopathic aliens and flying at high speeds far above the ground it could be understood.

"Jarvis? Where are you, buddy?" Unsure where to fly or where his enemies were, Tony set down on a nearby roof. He flipped his visor open since it was a more informative sight than his dark HUD.

Tony's brain began to run into overdrive, processing his teammate's location, processing what caused his link to Jarvis to drop, processing what to do next.

**Charge**

Ever since his first sort of experiment of using Thor's relationship with lightning to charge his suit, Tony has a love/hate relationship with the thing. It's happened a few other times. In the moment, Tony smirks; mutters, "Cool." He flies off into the air ripping off his repulsors at a rate that almost makes him giggle.

But the smirks fade into grimaces and curses when the battle ends. While it was fun to be supercharged, the excess electricity refuses to stay completely with the armor. Every time Tony handles anything metallic, which is about everything, he ends up shocking himself.

**Episode**

He's too aware of two things at night: his frequency of nightmares and the fact that Pepper is now sleeping beside him. Sure she knew he had bad dreams before, and he's not stupid enough to drive her from his bed (intentionally), so he tries his best to keep his dreams pleasant. But the harder he tries, the more they haunt him. He wakes up screaming silently, wanting to spit sand from his mouth, his chest aching from the weight of the arc reactor. Quietly and slowly, he lies back down beside Pepper, trying to match his breathing to hers.

**Core**

"You go first," Hawkeye whispers while jerking his head towards the entrance of the underground passage. Black Widow nods in agreement while making sure her weapons are in place.

Tony smiles behind his helmet. "Guys, I'm flattered. Having to admit that you need me to shield you from whatever is in there is a big step for the two of you."

Barton rolls his eyes. "It's dark in there, and your arc reactor doubles as a flashlight."

He hears Natasha's soft chuckle before responding with pointing a gauntleted finger at the pair. "I'm kicking you both out of my tower."

**Grain**

He wakes up to the sun shining menacingly on his face and rolls over with a groan. Bruce always asks him why he does this, but he simply cannot walk away from the unspoken challenge whenever Steve Rogers proclaims it's impossible for him to be drunk. Tony gets sucked in like it's a black hole and immediately drags the gang to the nearest bar—usually a different one each time to further his research. He has yet to disprove Steve's hypothesis. He also knows that he doesn't have to drink either, but since when has he ever experimented totally sober?


	3. Team

**Deserter**

He didn't know why walking into the offices of his own company made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. To be fair he'd always felt that way, even before he handed things over to Pepper by making her as CEO of Stark Industries. Maybe it was guilt from relationships with his father and Obie; how he felt like he never achieved their hopes for him. He tried to play it off with his usual attitude, but deep down the small inside him was sad he walked away from his duties even if it was the right and responsible thing to do.

**Meatier**

"Who gave Thor access to the Internet and a printer?" Clint demanded as he walked into the kitchen. Crumpled in his left hand was a paper that was taped to the door to everyone's quarters sometime before sunrise.

"Aww, is someone not happy that they aren't winning the 'Which Avenger has the best arms?' poll?" asked Tony.

"My third place is better than your fourth."

Tony waved him off. "Part of the reason I wear the armor is to shield the unassuming public from the hotness that lies inside."

Clint rolled his eyes as he reached for the coffee pot.

**Invent**

Steve's new habit was sitting in Tony's workshop and watching the man work. Stark usually forgot within a few minutes there was another human nearby. In the beginning, he tried to explain to Steve what he was doing, but Rogers told him not to worry about it. He didn't care about the science; he was just mesmerized by what could be accomplished in this age. Watching holographic images float in the air, robots whiz by, and listening to Tony talk to an invisible voice all made Steve feel like he was in the ice for 700 years instead of 70.

**Oranges**

Steve loves shopping at the grocery store and little markets in the city, especially in the produce section. He shakes his head at all the people who pass by this part of the store without a second glance. People from the forties would be amazed at the abundance of goods for sale on a daily basis. Any vegetable or fruit you wanted regardless of whether or not it was in season. They would also be taken aback by some of the other things that could be found in the other aisles. When had ingredient lists become so long and confusing?

**Subsurface**

They will put on smiles and waves whenever they leave a battle site for the people who are too dumb to run away. But as soon as they are safe within the Tower, the true emotions show, even if only a split second before everyone gains control. Steve wonders what the public would think if they could see that brief switch: the worry, grimaces of pain, shock that they survived again, or anger for unsuspecting civilians or SHIELD agents who were injured. Maybe then the public would finally understand that they are all truly (for the most part anyway) human.


	4. Steve

**Prophecy**

It took him a while to realize he would rest his hand on the center of his chest in the quiet moments before or during battle. The same spot where the star was attached to his uniform. The same spot where Erskine poked him before dying. Steve always believed he'd done that to remind him to be a good man so as not to fall to the same fate as Red Skull, but maybe it was to prove the point that the Erskine had always seen the true Steve Rogers inside and had found a way to call it out.

**Reeling**

He didn't think he would ever adjust to the twenty-first century, and some days refused to even try. He still felt utterly lost even though it had been weeks since he'd blindly run out into the middle of Times Square and countless people did their best to help him.

Everything and everyone he'd ever known and met were gone or on the verge of dying. Despite his nightmares being filled with ice, in his darkest moments he wished they never had pulled him out. He'd rather be lost than forced to live in a world that wasn't his.

**Hedged**

He hates summer. It means spending too much time looking out the window at boys playing ball in the street. At least school keeps him busy, even if it means dealing with bullies. But these three months every year leave him bored and lonely. He does his best to help his mother, but even that leaves him too winded some days.

So he draws when he can get his hands on supplies. It develops into a coping mechanism. Whenever he feels helpless and out of sorts, he uses arts as a means to express himself and escape his weak body.

**Singlehandedly**

It had to be one of the quickest skirmishes on record. A handful of HYDRA, who managed to hide out for two weeks after a previous battle, tired of waiting to be rescued decided to just go ahead and fight. Already weakened, Captain America took down the four of them with a single throw of his shield.

He heard Iron Man drift to the ground behind him and flip open his visor to inspect the situation with his own eyes. "Did you confuse this with bowling night? Try and save a couple for the rest of us next time, okay?"

**Cygnet**

He had heard the story of The Ugly Duckling as a child when he was in school. The first time he had a chance to give his new body a look over in front of a full-length mirror, he wondered if this was the same wonder and disbelief that the young swan felt when he grew into an elegant bird after spending his child being ridiculed for being different and less than.

Steve couldn't stand in front of the mirror for long. He didn't think he could ever get used to his transformation. Mentally, he'd forever be that scrawny duckling.


	5. Team

**Occasion**

Steve came running into the kitchen at the sound of the alarm, because of course he would be naturally inclined to run  _into_  the fire. "What's happening?"

Natasha rolled her eyes before answering, "The pyromaniac idiots tried to put your actual age's worth of candles on the cake. I think they melted the whole thing."

Steve looked to his right to see Barton and Stark using fire extinguishers on what one could only assume used to be a baked good mere moments before. Over their heads a banner hung from the ceiling: Happy Birthday to the World's Best Looking Ninety-Year-Old.

**Shootings**

They would often sit around in the down hours telling stories of war wounds and showing off their various scars (for those that didn't have super serum in their bloodstreams that took care of pesky permanent marks like that). Everything was pretty much on the table except bullet wounds, but only if Bruce was around. The reason for this unspoken rule was two-fold: 1) His body (one form of it at least) had taken more rounds than the rest of them combined ever could. 2) Bruce never really remembered any of that happening, and that was probably for the best.

**Assemblers**

Clint could not help but let a small smile cross his face whenever in the barest respites during a fight he would spot the blue cowl covered head of Captain America quickly bobbing up and down. Every spare second he had, Rogers would do a head count and update the locations of his fellow Avengers, always making sure everyone was mostly where they were supposed to be and standing their ground. They had all learned two things rather quickly: you had better be where you are supposed to be, and a quiet Steve is a dangerous and not fun Steve.

**Infuriate**

Despite knowing full well what kind of damage the Hulk was capable of, there were still days where Tony Stark simply could not help himself as he valiantly tried to draw The Other Guy out of Bruce Banner. Bruce, having trained for some time on how to keep his composure, was pretty used to it by now. Whether Tony was shocking him in his lab, jumping out from behind a corner or spiking his herbal tea with a shot of Five Hour Energy Drink, Bruce would just smile and shake his head infuriating Tony instead of the other way around.

**Strollers**

"Ho! Another babe to kiss!" Before anyone could stop him, Thor was already jaywalking across the busy intersection to chase down the mother and young child.

"Whoever told him that kissing babies was a duty for Midgardian heroes needs put a stop to this. We'll never make it back home if he has to stop at the sight of every small child," Bruce remarked while shooting a look at Barton.

Clint raised his hands, "Wasn't me."

"That and tell him that pointing and bellowing 'Ho' at women isn't the best idea," Tony added. "I'm speaking from experience on that one."


	6. Bruce/Hulk

**Eyetooth**

It was a rare occasion for the Hulk got to go one-on-one with the puny minions he fought. Usually they were behind the protection of some super diabolical weapon they had personally designed or stolen. So in those instances, which happen far too seldom for The Other Guy's liking, when he was able to literally lay hands on his enemy, it was good day. Few things were as satisfying as going easy on the idiots with a soft punch, watching them turn and spit a tooth out of their mouth, and then be stupid enough to challenge him once more.

**Luminescent**

Bruce awoke with a start and immediately settled into a pattern of deep breathing. He wanted to close his eyes to deepen the calming meditation, but knew his vision would immediately fill with the same images of the nightmare he'd just awoken from: Betty's face smiling at him, happy memories of his old life, working peacefully in the lab, never living in fear of maintaining a low pulse and the consequences of what would happen if he did. All of it, every bit of the life he loved, then eradicated by an all-consuming green glow never to return to him.

**Depository**

He wove in and around the city for nearly two hours before dropping the precious package off at the foreign post office. He wouldn't have taken so care and caution if he'd just been out running any other errand, but this one was critical to his future. Mr. Blue had promised to do his best to deliver results to rid his body of the gamma radiation, but needed a blood sample. Many things about himself terrified Bruce, but the thought of someone getting their hands on what exactly turned him into a monster was something that could never be allowed.

**Damp**

The first thing he noticed when he woke was the mud caking his fingers. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around before sitting up. This location was new to him. The Other Guy tended to prefer heading up north when seeking refuge in wilderness, but this time he'd gone south by the look of things. Bruce wasn't entirely sure where he was, but was pretty certain he'd wound up in the swamps. He shook his head futilely trying to reason why the Hulk had come here. Maybe he felt like he blended in better with all the green around.

**Adaptor**

When Bruce declared the team a ticking time bomb, he could've easily been talking mostly about himself. It made his skin itch to consider staying in one place around so many people for an extended period of time. Tony did his best to bribe him with science. And while the allure of labs and the best equipment in existence was enticing, it was going to take a lot of change to wrap his mind around the idea of staying put in one place, especially when he was constantly surrounded by people who were foolish enough to consider becoming his friend.


	7. Team

**Nakedly**

Standing around a naked Bruce waiting for him to regain consciousness was becoming an average Tuesday. They usually stood in a ring around him facing outwards to protect him the best they could. It was Hawkeye who suggested that one time they should all strip before he woke up as a sign of solidarity. Cap chided him for suggesting something so rude in front of a lady. Black Widow responded with a raised eyebrow and lowering her front zipper two inches as a challenge to show just what kind of lady she was. Rogers immediately blushed and averted his eyes.

**Sensationally**

While most of the coverage of them had been positive and grateful, there were a handful of reporters who kept a running tally of how much money was needed for structural repairs after battles.

"They should be grateful, too," Tony grumbled. "We're giving the city ample employment opportunities in construction. What other city can say that right now? Oh, and we're saving all of you."

"You should run for mayor on that platform," Barton suggested.

"I should," Stark answered, puffing his chest out slightly.

"You shouldn't," Pepper answered. "You can't sign that job over to me whenever you get bored."

**Atheistically**

It didn't take long for each apartment to embody the personality of its occupant. Steve's was always nice and neat. Bruce's was a series of evolving piles of data depending on what he was working on in the lab. No one could make heads or tails of it, but he swore it was an organized mess. Clint's was sterile, always ready to pick up and move. Natasha's echoed that, but still there were a smattering of knick-knacks she'd accumulated. Thor had screens covering the walls displaying images from Asgard as well as New Mexico depending on what he missed most.

**Insubordinate**

The younger man stood as Fury entered the small café. The Director waved him back down to his seat. "How's death treating you?"

"More coffee shop meetings than I expected. What do you need, sir?"

"You to come back."

"I thought it was agreed that it was best for team unity if I stayed dead."

"They can function as a team… mostly. But we still need them for individual assignments. Barton and Romanoff are making handlers quit left and right."

Coulson's response was to take a sip of his coffee.

"You're going to make me beg, aren't you?" sighed Fury.

**Egoist**

Even though he possessed the world's largest ego, Tony Stark still had a good heart. Metaphorically speaking. It was rare for him to be public about it, or probably for Tony to recognize it in himself, but it still made appearances often enough. The notion was obvious enough in his workshop particularly. While he could be verbally abusive to his helper bots, he always made sure to give them the best care he could provide and refused to go anywhere or fight anything if something wrong happened during an upgrade and his mechanical children were then sick and in danger.


	8. Clint/Coulson

**1**

Phil counted down the seconds remaining on the bomb Barton had planted an hour ago. Once it went off, they could get out of this forsaken firefight and move on. The rebels' headquarters exploding seven seconds later was a welcome sight to the team.

"Mission accomplished," Coulson proclaimed into the comm. "Barton, take the south fire exit stairs. You will take the stairs all the way to ground and not attempt some acrobatic trick on way down to street level."

"When you die, your tombstone is going to read 'Here lies Phil Coulson, ruiner of all fun.'"

"Shut up, Barton."

**7**

The two of them were temporarily stranded in some Eastern European forest. Despite the cold temperatures, starting a fire was out of the question. Coulson had set out twenty minutes before to rummage for food and left Clint and his bum leg to guard what few supplies they had salvaged.

Phil returned soon after with a mix of berries and nuts, as well as some water and fresh fish that he'd apparently managed to catch with his bare hands.

"When you die, your tombstone is going to read 'Here lies Phil Coulson, forest chef extraordinaire.'"

"Shut up and eat, Barton."

**12**

"Detonation is set for thirty seconds. You're close enough that you might feel a bit of the shockwave."

"Copy," Hawkeye acknowledged as he made his way back down to the ground. He was almost there when the shockwave picked him up and threw him twenty feet. It took him a second to shake things off before he got back up and continue making his exit. "When you die, your tombstone is going to read 'Here lies Phil Coulson, king of the understatement.'"

"Are you bleeding or injured?"

"No," he fibbed.

"Shut up, Barton, you liar. Get back to base."

**24**

Between slinging incendiary arrows at their targets of the day and calling out enemy movements, Hawkeye had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing over the comms as Coulson was lecturing yet another SHIELD newbie to pull themselves together.

"Oh, you're injured? It happens. I've got a mission to finish here. Go suck your thumb in a corner till I'm done," the lead agent mocked while firing off rounds with his sidearm.

Clint could not contain himself any longer. "When you die, your tombstone is going to read 'Here lies Phil Coulson, Mommy to junior agents.'"

"Shut up, Barton."

**37**

It was never a good mission when Clint ran out of arrows. This was also one of the few times that he and Coulson were standing next to each other on a mission.

Clint kept extending his left hand, never taking his eyes off targets, and Coulson kept filling it: a few arrows, grenades, mini-EMP blasters, and more. "When you die, your tombstone is going to read 'Here lies Phil Coulson, a weapons depot wrapped in Dolce.'" He waited for the usual response, but it didn't come. He looked questioningly at his handler.

Coulson shrugged. "I'm okay with that one."


	9. Team

**Photograph**

Steve always collected photographs when he could. Before they were mementos of the Howling Commandos. He'd found a number of the pictures when he returned from the ice, but the faces that once gave him a sense of belonging and camaraderie now made him feel alone and old. He'd given the pictures to Phil as a Welcome Back from the Dead present.

He wasn't sure who put the new picture on the refrigerator in his quarters. It was of the team laughing over some story the wildly gesticulating Tony was telling over pizza.

Maybe Steve could start a new collection.

**Legend**

Norse lore had several things correct when it came to Thor: his superior strength, his trusted Mjolnir, and the ridiculous good looks, but there were also a number of things that legend didn't about the demi-god.

There were the things that were easy to guess, like how he can drink anyone under the table. But some things were truly unexpected: how he will pout for hours if you do not let him win at least one game of Mario Kart, how deafening his snores are, and how picky he is about which flavors of Pop-Tarts are stocked in the kitchen.

**Goose**

Their first Christmas together, everyone contributed something to the menu. Clint baked cookies, Steve made yams, Coulson made his mother's homemade rolls, Bruce provided mashed potatoes that were to die for, and Thor mistook the traditional fruitcake as something everyone liked in real life and not just in Christmas movies. Natasha's contribution was to spike the eggnog even more than it already was.

And Tony arranged for the goose. He didn't know why, and didn't want to think about it too long, but the Christmas goose was one of the few good memories he had with his parents growing up.

**Bread**

Steve calls it breaking bread, but the general rule is the team eats dinner together at least three times a week. The days vary depending on meetings, attacks, and the odds of dragging Bruce and Tony from their experiments, but they usually are pretty good at sticking to it. It doesn't mean it's always pleasant or dignified. There are arguments on what the menu you will be, but never arguments on whether or not it will happen. Because deep down they are a collection of misfits who've never felt like they belonged until they were forced together as a team.

**Computer**

"Hey, Computer."

"Barton, how many times do I have to tell you his name is Jarvis?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, about that. Any chance you can change its voice to a woman's?"

Tony rolls his eyes. "Because fighting aliens twice a week isn't enough to feel like Star Trek, you now want me to modify my AI?"

"See? You already understand."

"What is this trek among the stars you speak of?" Thor asks.

"It's a great show, buddy," Clint answers while Tony begrudgingly nods his head in agreement. "I'll watch it with you some time. You're going to love the Klingons."


	10. Team

**Resurrected**

Agent Coulson sat at his desk with his jacket off, sleeves rolled up, and tie loosened—about as physically ruffled as the man ever became. He muttered curses while reading the so-called documentation on the team's activities. The lack of organization was horrendous and embarrassing, but unsurprising considering how many agents had come and gone unable to contend with the team.

"Do any of these people know how to use a comma?" he asked himself.

"Next time, don't die and you won't have to deal with this mess," suggested a voice above him.

"Barton, get out of the air ducts."

**Huskier**

While his psyche might not take kindly to staying put in such a populated place for a while, Bruce's waistline was okay with it. The food the team took turns cooking (or ordering) as well as the fact that he was eating regularly scheduled meals were causing all of his pants to grow a little snug. Part of him felt the need to schedule more time for cardio into his schedule, but another part of his brain thought it might be okay to let go just a little bit. The Other Guy might appreciate growing into some slightly bigger pants.

**Whimsy**

Whenever anyone on the team was feeling down, Thor was the go-to guy. So when he was feeling low about Jane having to cancel her trip to see him and he unable to go to her, Natasha and Clint took it upon themselves to help the big guy out. They decided to take him to the zoo, but Thor was unimpressed: horses were missing half of their legs and even lions weren't nearly as fearsome as Asgardian species. The emergency back-up plan of ice cream was almost put into action when Thor discovered penguins. "These waddling birds are most amusing!"

**Café**

"I thought you said you had a meeting."

Tony cringed at the sound of Fury's voice in his ear. He knew he should've varied where he consumed his coffee when outside of Stark Tower, but this little place had espresso that was absolutely to die for. And as the SHIELD director stepped around Tony's right shoulder and into Stark's line of vision, he realized he might just be putting that thought to the test. "I do, with caffeine."

"We have coffee machines at headquarters. You know, the place where you're supposed to be in a debriefing?"

"True, but they suck."

**Caters**

Perhaps it was the fact that she started her training as a child and was conditioned to follow orders, but if you ever asked Natasha to do something, it was very hard for her not to comply. Take for instance the time Clint asked her to do his laundry. She still did it. But she was fully aware of just how much he was taking advantage of her upbringing. So of course she did his laundry. She also dyed all his white boxer-briefs pink and hung them to dry in the common room.

Clint was undeterred. He still wears them.


	11. Team

**Nullify**

Their victories were becoming less and less exciting. The Avengers were slowly learning that defeating Loki and the Chitauri did not act so much as a deterrent for other galactic tyrants, but rather an invitation. Sure there were still pats on the back and smiles for cameras at the end of the battle. But there was also a sinking feeling in the pits of stomachs, because they all knew it meant a new countdown was starting for the next attack. It was becoming quite clear that Earth may not see peace ever again, at least not in the near future.

**Edition**

What little free time Phil Coulson could find in his schedule, he spent it on eBay, craigslist, and various collectors' internet forums. He didn't know how long or how much of his savings it would take him to rebuild his complete collection of vintage, limited edition Captain America trading cards. Especially since the reemergence of the superhero from the ice had caused prices for quality condition cards to skyrocket.

Coulson could gouge out Fury's remaining eye and make him eat it for destroying his mint set of cards that was safely tucked away in his locker when Loki attacked him.

**Vitality**

The first major injury was Barton. He'd taken a hit that, thankfully, knocked him backwards and slammed him into service door. He had a severe concussion (nothing new), two broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a head wound that was spilling blood at an alarming rate. Twenty minutes between injury and getting him off the roof. Another fifteen before his unconscious body was brought into medical. Sixteen hours before he woke up. None of them left his side. They silently took turns pacing at the foot his bed, except Natasha who sat next to him threatening him in whispered Russian.

**Loyalties**

"You've reached the life—"

"Tony, I know it's you," Pepper sighed.

"How did you even break through my 'do not disturb' protocols?"

"Jarvis helped."

Tony turned his eyes to the ceiling of his workshop. "Traitor."

"You  _have_  to come in to work today. The board—"

"Nope, better stuff to do. Sorry. I'll make it up to you later. But for now, the board can suck it." He heard Pepper emit a cross between a whine and a sigh. "You have me on speaker phone, don't you?"

"Yes," she moaned.

"You should know better than that."

"I really should."

**Skylines**

Steve was grateful to have the Chrysler Building in plain sight. The building, clearly visible from his quarters, was an anchor that helped him reason the greatly changed city layout. So much had changed and grown and expanded that there were days where it hard to believe that his was still in New York. He was thankful the city street layout was on a grid system so he couldn't get lost when out.

Buildings had come and gone during the seventy years in the ice, but the steel, sparkling beauty was a constant that tied Steve's past to his present.


	12. Team

**Help**

They're all awful at asking for help, especially when it comes to medical staff. They have enough sense to know when to do it to prevent their own death, but owning up to cuts needing stitches, pulled muscles, or even broken bones? They try to hide it. They all hate medical for various reasons: childhood history of illnesses, the inability to admit weakness, tight spaces and bright lights, waking up restrained to a bed, rooms that are too sterile and clean, and sheer stupidity. It drives Coulson bonkers, but he can be just as bad as the rest of them.

**Couple**

Clint Barton has dated everyone. Tony doesn't know whether to be impressed or insulted that Clint's track record is longer than his own.

On good days, it results in hilarious tales of monumental mistakes on Clint's part, even more entertaining when Natasha is telling the story from her history with him. On bad days, it involves the whole team getting punished in some way because Clint messed around one night with a SHIELD agent, called her wrong the name the next day, and years later now she's responsible for their travel and safe house accommodations and still holds a grudge.

**Suffer**

The amount of baggage that surrounds them is ridiculous. The one with the healthiest psyche is the demi-god trapped on a planet that isn't his because his adopted brother (at least) twice attempted to usurp power.

As awful as they all are at voluntarily going to medical, they're ten times worse when it comes to psych. Whenever they do show up, they (with the exception of Steve and Thor) rebel by attempting to overload the person with as much trauma as possible they will be overwhelmed and have no clue where to start, effectively overloading processors and shutting them down.

**Training**

He's been practicing his skills for a while, but Tony is still the weakest at hand-to-hand combat, because why punch someone when you can fire a weapon? But even Stark can recognize the need to know the skill, so twice a week they take turns beating him. They love it; Tony hates it. The intensity of the workout usually depends on who's delivering it and how much Stark has been running his mouth. He really should know better to just shut his face sometimes, but he just can't help it, even when it's Natasha's turn in the ring with him.

**Accept**

Natasha, Phil, and Clint spend occasional evenings discussing SHIELD business as far from Fury's ears and eye as they possibly can. They keep each other updated on scuttlebutt from their sources and attempt to predict what's going on with the man behind the curtain. They also swap stories of their history, what little of it they've experienced with SHIELD when the one or both of the others weren't present. They all agree they're pretty sure their contracts with the agency wouldn't hold up in court since they were each other drugged, drunk or unconscious when they signed their lives away.


	13. Thor

**Lead**

He has led Sif and the Warriors Three to many a glorious battle on Asgard and other realms, but here on Midgard Thor is content to let Captain America take charge of the Avengers and various SHIELD agents assigned to them.

Thor loves this planet and its inhabitants deeply, and he and his brother, Loki, have done too much damage to it as it is, most out of ignorance. So he will protect the population and the planet with all his might, but he will not take the lead for fear of causing the ultimate blow that will end humanity.

**Pants**

The Son of Coul says they must wear "street clothes" when not in battle. He has a few garments that Jane gave him when they first met in New Mexico, but not much else. The Lady Natasha offers to take him shopping and help him find clothes, and he is grateful for the kindness and aide. Trousers are somewhat easy to find, but finding shirts to fit his torso are a struggle. And everything he purchases has to be brought to a man named Tailor. The whole process makes Thor a little homesick for Asgard and his perfectly fitting armor.

**Flirt**

He struggles with how to approach his relationship with Jane. He's familiar with Asgardian courtship rituals, but is unsure what the practices are for Midgard. Gifts, physical displays of affection, and just general etiquette for this "dating" are a mystery to him. He secretly wishes he had better role models around him when it comes to this. Natasha will give him guidance every now and then, but the men are no help at all. Thor repeats something he overhears Tony telling Pepper and Jane was speechless for a moment before asking him to never say something like that ever again.

**Tour**

Thor is the greatest tourist New York City's ever had. He visits the Statue of Liberty once a week. He loves going to museums. Steve goes with him to tell him about art. Clint will show him exhibits displaying ancient cultures and they'll stand there discussing the history of weapons until closing time. Natasha volunteers to take him to Central Park to feed birds when she's having a bad day. Bruce introduces him to hockey, which Thor loves. And Tony is determined to make him eat and drink at every hole in the wall place the city has to offer.

**Pen**

Coulson makes them spend at least an hour a week signing autographs to head shots and responding to fanmail. Thor doesn't handle using a tiny, standard sized pen all that well; thus, he has to use a jumbo sized Sharpie to sign pictures. Little known fact: Asgardians, while immune to things like radiation, are highly affected by the odor given off by permanent markers. Thor wears a mask while signing things for more than five minutes or he will steal everyone's head shots and draw mustaches, horns, and eye patches on all the pictures while giggling for three hours straight.


	14. Team

**Symbolically**

"You  _would_  be born on the fourth of July; you're the embodiment of patriotism," Tony noted before sipping from his martini. The gang was out on the balcony watching the fireworks display over the water.

Steve didn't even hear the comment; he was too engrossed watching the gorgeous display exploding in the sky.

Barton shook his head, "You're just jealous because the whole country is setting off fireworks for his birthday and they don't for yours."

"You could pay them to," suggested Natasha.

Tony smirked and snapped his free fingers at her comment. "Now there's an idea."

"No!" yelled Pepper.

**Antediluvian**

Thor quickly urged his comrades to back away from the fallen, unknown enemy. He heard Agents Hill and Coulson over the comm asking for details, but Thor kept his words to himself until he was sure. With every step he took towards the foe, the sinking feeling grew stronger. This enemy was ancient; Thor felt the oldness in his bones. It was something they shared. They'd seen civilizations rise and fall, and that characteristic was unsettling to see in an enemy, especially when this new and mysterious enemy has decided to play with the young humans on Thor's beloved Midgard.

**Counterrevolution**

Nick Fury knew the War Council served a purpose and that their efforts were an attempt to protect the planet. At least that's what he constantly told himself. Most of the time Fury thought the Council was a collection of the world's largest, close-minded idiots who couldn't even figure out how to flip a light switch.

"What are we going to do, Sir?" Agent Hill asked from behind his right shoulder as soon he cut off the video conference.

Nick shook his head, attempting one last time to find reason in their latest orders but not seeing any. "Ignore them."

**Lushest**

Just because Tony was a billionaire didn't mean everything he owned was ridiculously expensive, just his houses, personal skyscraper, half-dozen superhero armors, cars, watches, suits, machinery, bed sheets, and the contents of his liquor cabinets. That was it.

Tony also had a taste for cheap things. Fast food was a weakness. If Pepper and Jarvis didn't monitor his diet, Stark would probably be about 85% Whopper at this point. If he went to the movies, it was to the cheap theater. Their popcorn was disgustingly delicious and fewer patrons present to shush him when he talked during the entire movie.

**Immigrating**

"Can we please put a sign on the Statue of Liberty that says the huddled masses we're willing to take on don't include aliens with lasers?" Tony asked.

"Nay!" Thor bellowed. "You shall not deface the Lady Liberty. She is a glorious monument to Midgard."

Tony raised his hands. "Whoa. Ease up, Goldilocks, it's just a joke. I have no qualms with her. I'm just tired of spending my afternoons blasting one guy after the other when I could be doing more important things like building next gen energy systems or hacking Coulson's computer."

"That will never happen," responded Phil.


	15. Tony

**Salutation**

Even when not in the suit, Tony was greeted with shouts of "Hey, Iron Man!" He'd smile and politely wave back. Rhodey asked him once if he ever got tired of the recognition. Of course he didn't. He literally built himself into becoming a superhero. That is twelve levels of awesome. Why would he ever get sick of being praised for that? Granted he could do without hearing the quotes of how much damage he's caused by inadvertently burning down building in fights, but Tony Stark could never live without receiving love from the public. Especially the hot, female public.

**Ascribes**

He hates to admit how much credit Howard is due, because a lot of it is: his intelligence, his love of messing with gadgets, his business savvy, his love of martinis. But there are other things he has to credit to his father. It usually falls under the heading of "How Not to Behave If You're a Human Being". If he were to ever become a father to a child and not just the bots in his workshop—which no on earth actually hopes for—at least Tony has the knowledge of exactly how to not to raise a child.

**Monogrammed**

It was easy to tell if a product was constructed by Stark Industries, and not just by the logo you could find somewhere on it. They were all undoubtedly always on the cutting edge of technology, sleek, and inspiring many a person to become sexually attracted to an inanimate object. Tony was most proud of that last part.

The same with his various armors. Each rendition of his suit pushed his creativity in new directions, usually out of necessity by some villain finding flaws in the technology. But each suit was a unique and recognizable creation from Tony Stark's mind.

**Redraws**

He hates editing his work, mostly because he doesn't have time for it. It's even worse when the work in question is only being researched and developed by him. He'll drag Bruce into the workshop every now and then to bounce ideas off of and have another set of genius eyes double-check his math to see where he went wrong.

It's one of the main reasons why Tony suffers from insomnia. He can't rest until all the numbers, formulae, and equations are at peace with each other. Only then will his mind relax, at least until the next idea comes.

**Exasperate**

Tony has zero patience. His mind moves too fast to put up with waiting. He once tried to cook a frozen dinner by blasting it with a hand repulsor from one of the suits. It took Dummy a week to clean up. Pepper chided him, but he reasoned she should be happy he voluntarily tried to cook himself a meal instead of having to be force fed nutrition by her or Coulson. She shook her head and told him next time to order a pizza with extra vegetables. Tony pulled a face, "Who would want to eat something like that?"


	16. Natasha

**Infection**

She felt Clint come up behind her to look over her shoulder and down at the video file playing on the tablet in her lap. "Ah, Strike Team Delta days. I miss them."

"You only miss them because the acronym is STD," Natasha countered.

He grinned. "Strike Team Delta: SHIELD's very own strain of herpes—causing awkward conversations and flare-ups since 2006."

"And you wonder why Coulson never let you put that on a shirt and make it part of the team's standard gear?"

Clint mocked offense. "I thought it was a great idea for boosting team unity and morale."

**Erudite**

They had a standing appointment to watch Jeopardy on free weeknights. It was relaxing to best each other in knowledge while ceaselessly mocking douchey Alex Trebek. Tony and Bruce were even in science. Steve was good at military history, Coulson scarily proficient at pop culture. Clint answered whatever he thought should be the correct answer (usually "Your Mom" when Trebek was grating on his nerves), and Thor sat back and smiled. But no one could sweep any category that popped up on the board like Natasha—literature, music, ancient history, third-world prime ministers, architecture; she seemed to know it all.

**Sarcasms**

Tony once compared Natasha's sense of humor to how he preferred his martinis—extremely dry and potentially lethal. It earned him a smile from her and a kiss on his cheek in response. Fearing that she had marked him with the kiss of death if he didn't find a way to redeem himself from his heinously insulting comment, Tony was then terrified to make eye contact with her for a week and went scurrying in the other direction when he saw her in the corridors.

It was the quietest seven days she'd had since she moved into the Avengers Tower.

**Dress**

"Hot date, mission, or both?"

Natasha smoothed the tight, black dress against her frame as she spun on a stiletto heel. "What does it matter to you?"

"Just wondering if I need to suit up for backup or start writing a letter of condolences to next of kin," Clint answered as his eyes raked up and done her body landing squarely on her cleavage.

"My eyes are up here."

He shrugged, eyes not moving. "Not like I haven't seen 'em before."

She smirked and smacked his left ear to redirect his vision. "I'll call if I need you."

"Yes, ma'am."

**Diagnosing**

She reveled in the three nanoseconds it took to mentally lay out a plan of attack on her opponent. That split second where her brain broke down points of weaknesses to find the most efficient attack was a rush that gave her peace in chaos: knee to the solar plexus, elbow to the nose, kick to the groin, bullet to the knee (if she was feeling kind), or pepper spray in the face. It was a constant contest with herself to set new records for take down times with people who were stupid enough to challenge her in a fight.


	17. Clint

**Sleepiest**

Clint Barton could sleep anywhere. He could also, terrifyingly enough, sleep with his eyes open. He'd been found leaning against a corridor wall or two staring at the floor and snoring.

He tried to keep this as much of a secret as possible since he considered debriefs to be his personal naptime. Natasha had kicked him a time or two when he was on the verge of snoring so he could keep the façade of being deep in thought up with Fury around. Clint was pretty sure the director was on to him, but he never said anything about it.

**Balcony**

One of the reasons he likes being high above everything was that it caused his brain to take in more information. Down on the ground, his vision is limited and it doesn't take much mental power to process it all. Up high he can see everything.  It serves as a diversion for his mind. It is forced to keep tabs on everything that is happening far below him, and with his brain that busy Clint can finally get a moment of peace and quiet. Up high he can catch his breath and drain himself somewhat of his current worries.

**Nightingales**

Hawks aren't known for their calls, but Clint doesn't stop singing. Ever. Shooting ranges, showering, cooking, eating, piloting the Quinjet—the only time he isn't singing is when the mission requires silence or when he's talking. It used to grate on Natasha's nerves, but now she recognizes it as a sound of what she can loosely call home. He stopped singing for a while after Coulson's death. It was disconcerting to be around a quiet Barton. But when Phil returned, so did the constant stream of power ballads from the eighties. Natasha was relieved to hear his singing voice restored.

**Dingier**

Barton is never clean, not even when he steps out of the shower. He spends too many hours a day in places where humans don't usually go and therefore are filled with dust, dirt, and grit. The others mock him for being easy to find in the Tower because all you have to do is follow the dirty boot prints down the corridor. They all know he only does that when he doesn't mind being found because they've all had to search high and low for him at some point. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be.

**Grenades**

He hates being street level when the big explosions (that aren't coming from his arrows) start. It takes everything in him to follow the Cap's orders and stay put when his mind is screaming at him to start scurrying up somewhere, anywhere, to get out of the fray. He blames it on his skillset—the fact that he's a marksmen. But deep down he knows the truth, in part at least, is because he's all too aware that he has no super powers, nearly indestructible armor, nor super serum protecting his fragile flesh. It is all a matter of self-preservation.


	18. Team

**Garter**

The knives were a reassuring presence against her thighs. She never went anywhere without them tucked into her garter if she could help it. She always tried to have a minimum of five weapons on her person at all times, not that she needed them to be deadly.

There was something comforting about the cool metal warming to her skin and the small rush of the blades pressing against her that helped her focus on the mission ahead, keeping her tethered to herself while she wore another cover identity.

She subtly clicked on her comm, "Black Widow is moving in."

**Transient**

They never hung out in Clint or Natasha's quarters. One, there wasn't enough room for all of them to fit in the tiny SHIELD living spaces, and two—they were depressing. The two of them never stayed anywhere for too long, and also shared a lack of permanence in their childhood. Thus, their rooms were spartan to say the least. And the Avengers, while never admitting it aloud, desired to be surrounded by comfort when not fighting crazy evil persons or things. So they usually settled for Tony's penthouse with its plush carpets and comfy couches. And the hot tub.

**Contrasting**

There were many differences between Steve Rogers and Captain America. Granted, they shared similarities—bravery, standing up for the good in everything and everyone. But there were plenty of things that differed between the two who shared the same mind.

One was a national icon, ever confident. He was a leader, giver of orders, and always ready to reassure the public with a sparkling grin. The other was a man who was still not (and probably never would be) comfortable in his body. Who still feared asthma attacks, felt constantly lost and out of place, and so very, very alone.

**Redeliver**

Coulson sat at his desk staring at the phone. It was his mother's birthday. He knew she would love nothing more than to hear his voice, especially since she still believed he was dead. Fury left him the choice to inform his family of his state of health, but Phil wavered on which path to take. He wanted nothing more to hear her laughter, but he also knew it would only be a matter of time before the director would have to call his parents again to tell them of Coulson's demise. He was certain he wouldn't outlive his parents.

**Optimists**

Thor and Tony were the eternal optimists. It took a great deal to sour Thor's mood, and when it happened it, it could easily be fixed by a conversation with Jane.

Tony was absurdly optimistic about the state of Avengers. He'd look out on destroyed buildings in the aftermath, shrug his shoulders, say "It could've been worse," and then redirect them all to a local eatery where he regaled them with stories until everyone felt somewhat normal again.

They were the balance to the realists and pessimists of the group. The two men were the much needed pressure release valves.


	19. Team

**Red**

Clint is positive that Natasha's hair color is just another way she uses her body to distract her enemies. He knows from experience how easy it is to have one's imagination get caught up in what it would feel like to have your fingers caught up in the fiery curls, to wonder what they would like see them fanned out on a pillow. And while you think of that, she'll be thinking of the softest and easiest place to bury a knife in your torso. She'll even have the nerve to smile, the tiniest of visible grins, while doing it.

**Orange**

Tony's not sure which part of Pepper approaching him in a rage he finds more terrifying and arousing all at once. Is it the incoming, measured clicks of her stilettos on the marble floor, or the orange ponytail swaying back and forth like some metronome measuring his doom? When she's mad like this it makes him hot and bothered, which never helps Pepper's temper.

"Tony, I will surgically remove that smirk from your face. What on earth were you thinking?"

"You wanna get dinner?"

"No. I want to know—"

"You're right, we should skip dinner and just—"

"Tony!"

**Yellow**

The gang is out walking the streets on the way to a baseball game to see Steve's beloved Dodgers. The sunlight catches Thor's hair and a flicker of a story from Tony's youth pops into his head. It was one of his nannies who told him about a man named Samson when Stark was a small child. Tony wonders for a second what would happen to the demi-god if his golden locks were shorn. Stark shakes his head and dismisses the nonsensical train of thought, but he is fairly certain Natasha would make an excellent stand-in for Delilah if needed.

**Green**

Bruce awakens with a gasp and Betty's screams in his ears. He tries to assure his frantic mind that it was a dream, but his breaths are coming too quickly and his skin is taking on a verdant hue. He tries to focus, but it's like flying a plane into the eye of a hurricane at a necessary sonic speed. He can feel the pressure in his joints and knows his body is moments away from exploding into the other guy. But he fights it off, centers, and finds his calm, grateful he doesn't have to buy another new bed.

**Blue**

Steve has never been fond of bodies of water. It's easy enough to explain now after spending seven decades frozen in an ocean, but the distaste was present in his childhood, too. There were a few times that Bucky would invite him to go swimming at a pool or at the beach. Steve loved Bucky and being around him, but that was just asking too much. Bucky easily saw past Steve's tiny, frail body. The thought of having to be in a crowd shirtless and run the risk of having a breathing attack in and around water was too much.

**Purple**

Clint is used to being mocked for his choice in favorite color, but he has long since stopped caring. Purple has always been his favorite. He heard once when he was a little boy that it was the color of royalty. He always imagined what that would be like—never having to worry about where you were going to get your next meal, being surrounded by people who loved and respected you, always having a comfortable bed to sleep in, and not having to resort to crimes in order to get enough money to run away from your latest threat.

**Gray**

With the exception of Thor and Steve, it was a coin toss on which side of the good versus evil spectrum each of them could have fallen. Some of them had spent time at both ends. Others were content to stick as close to the middle as possible until it was clear which side would be most advantageous to swear fealty to. Despite the public constantly labeling them as "the good guys", they all knew better. Not every mission was for the betterment of mankind. Sometimes they had to play Fury and the Council's game in order to move forward.

**Brown**

They return to Stark Tower covered in a brown, sticky, smelly substance that no one wants to think too hard about. They cannot get to their showers fast enough. Thor spends the ride up in the elevator picking hunks of slime from his hair and tossing them on the floor. Even Steve doesn't care enough at this point to ask him not to make such a mess.

"Midgard's villainy needs to earn more respect for themselves. This constant need to hide in filth is not befitting of someone who desires to rule a realm as fine as this one someday."

**Black**

On nights where the insomnia gets the better of her and she doesn't have a mission planned for the next day, she will spend the dark hours of the night lying on the cold, hard floor sifting through her early memories. It's a game she plays occasionally to pass the time: which memories are real? Some she is sure are planted, but only a couple does she silently hope are true. But most of them from her years of training are a jumbled mess and she's not entirely sure what to believe is actually her life and what is not.

**White**

Phil Coulson opens his eyes to see white everywhere. What little part of his brain that capable of thought chalks this up to one of the various theories he's heard regarding after lives. But then there's a man with an eye patch and a leather coat leaning into view, and Coulson thinks that Hell has a deceitful look to it.

"You're not dead, at least not permanently. Don't struggle against the tubes and bandages. I don't need you bleeding out on me again."

Coulson feels himself fighting the orders.

"Just lay there. Sleep. I'll answer your questions when you wake."


	20. Team

**Colony**

Tony thrashes spontaneously and violently in bed, muttering curses, and constantly swiping his fingers through his hair. Pepper's breath catches in her chest in fear he's having yet another nightmare, but her terror switches to confusion when she sees that his eyes are open. "Tony, what are you doing?"

Stark stops cursing long enough to explain. "Every time Pym comes around I can feel invisible bugs crawling all over me for days. Are they in my hair? I can't have bugs in my hair, Pepper. The press will see something moving around up there and they'll think I have lice."

**Mind**

She's been on his mind for nearly seventy-five years now. Even unconscious in the ice he's sure she was there in his dreams and nightmares. He wakes from dreams so real and routine that he's almost sure his brain developed a whole alternate life for the two of them when he was frozen. Marriage, a house, kids.

He stares at the phone for the millionth time. Her phone number is seared into his brain from the one glance he took at her dossier. He should call her. Call her before time and age robs him of his one remaining contemporary.

**Crowd**

Yet another publicity stunt—they all had to show up for some ribbon cutting, opening some peace park or something. Again. Bruce was all for the idea of citizens having somewhere pleasant and quiet to visit, he just didn't want to be there with thousands of people, their screams, and their flashing cameras. He hadn't accidently Hulked out in a couple of months, but he always felt like he was pushing his luck with these things, even if Natasha kept a calming hand on his left tricep and Tony had designed him a pair of discreet noise canceling ear plugs.

**Wine**

Asgardian mead was the worst, at least for Tony, Natasha, and Clint. The potent liquid still couldn't affect Steve, Thor was used to it, and everyone agreed a drunk Hulk was never a good thing so Bruce abstained from consuming too much alcohol.

Tony moaned as he rolled over and fumbled for the bottle of pain killers on the nightstand. "That stuff must be mulled by Satan himself," he grunted as he swallowed a few painkillers in an undoubtedly futile attempt to quell his throbbing, hangover-induced headache. "'Drink the wine of the gods,' they said. 'It'll be fun,' they said."

**Aroma**

The upside of Bruce traveling all over the planet was that the man could cook just about anything, and do it extremely well. Ancient recipes, fusion-inspired crossover dishes, it didn't matter. He could turn three ingredients and a couple of spices into the most delicious thing you have ever tasted in your life. Wednesday night was his scheduled evening in the kitchen. They'd all drift one-by-one into the cooking area at least an hour before dinner was served like a pack of Pavlov's dogs. No one really talked. They just watched, smelled, and salivated over Banner working his culinary magic.


	21. Team

**Dark**

They all have nightmares for different reasons: lost friends and family, awful childhoods, escaping death more times than they should have. Thus, it's not unusual for the corridors in the personal quarters floors of Stark Tower to look the same no matter the hour. There's always movement everywhere—walking the halls, boxing in the gym, firing on the range, performing experiments. None of them can ever stay still; they are too afraid of stopping. Stopping means not moving. Not moving gives one's mind room to think and remember, and none of them has enough good memories to balance the bad.

**Upstairs**

Of course there are common areas designated in the Tower, but none of them have an oversized hot tub like Tony's penthouse. Stark constantly offers to give every one of them three of their own if they would just leave him alone. Pepper pats his arm, shushes him, and asks if anyone needs another round. "Traitor," he hisses in return.

She rolls her eyes, "You should be nicer to the people who do battle with you."

"Yeah, Stark," Clint seconds with a grin, "be nicer to us."

Tony levels a glare at the archer. "I know where you sleep, Barton."

**Pipeline**

Gossip moves quickly at SHIELD, not surprisingly considering the nature of their business. But within the Avengers Initiative it moves like wildfire. Of course the accuracy of the news depends on who's telling it. What little Bruce knows is always near-truth. With Thor it's like playing Telephone—great enthusiasm but low accuracy. Tony will repeat anything he hears. Steve scoffs at it all. And Clint and Natasha can't be trusted; they're well known for planting lies whenever they're bored. Coulson's the one you really have to look out for—he only listens and saves it all for a rainy day.

**Nerve**

They hate the feeling of it, changing from one into the other. Going from Bruce to the Hulk is like an explosion—everything needing to be huge quickly. Skin stretching, muscles pulling, joints grinding into themselves as some things enlarge faster than others. Going the opposite direction is just as bad. Like falling past the even horizon into a black hole. Everything being smashed and shrunk down to fit back into a tiny body. Bruce is sure one day his body will rip into pieces, no longer able to handle the force it must endure to change back and forth.

**Preview**

There is a designated movie night in Stark Tower, but there is also a bi-weekly evening dedicated strictly to previews. They all sit and talk through two hours worth of whatever trailers iTunes has to offer at the moment. Notes are made of which movies they'd like to see, which to avoid, and which Tony will need to download immediately because they look so great. No one tells Steve that torrents are illegal. Coulson is willing to overlook the wrongdoing as a bargaining chip to help keep Tony in line, even though pretty sure Phil is certain Fury doesn't care.


	22. Team

**Corporate**

While it will never stop being a thrill to fly around in the armor, it is sometimes really nice just to lean back in the corporate jet and let someone else handle the piloting. When not responsible for the flying, Tony can do things like close his eyes and catch up on a few hours of sleep. He's tried that once or twice in the armor—on accident, of course. Jarvis learned a trick at the battle of New York and simply plays a recording of the Hulk letting loose a massive roar to wake his creator with a jolt.

**Tasked**

They were all tasked from time to time on individual assignments from Fury and Hill. No matter what time it was when they returned, it was a forgone conclusion that Steve would be waiting in the corridor for them as soon as the elevators opened to their personal floors of Stark Tower. Even if it meant standing there with bed head, in pajamas, rubbing sleep from his eyes—he was always there waiting to welcome them home. And if they don't show up, he'd know that much sooner to sound the assemble alarm, suit up, and go get them back.

**Totalitarianism**

Captain America may be the leader of the Avengers, but Agent Phil Coulson is undeniably their dictator. They're all pretty sure that even deep down in his dark, cold soul Director Fury would reluctantly agree with the notion. All those Supernanny marathons paid off for Coulson when he was put in charge of handling the team. They may fight and throw tantrums when he makes them do things like eat their vegetables—Tony, mostly—but he always gets the job done. Because if you don't follow his polite suggestions, your things will start to disappear, starting with your most-prized weapons.

**Uncongenial**

No one talks to each other before ten in the morning if at all possible. A couple of them don't mind the mornings too much—Steve and Bruce mostly—but the rest absolutely cannot function until at least four pots of coffee have been split between the seven of them. Even Thor is dependent on the brown, liquid drug now, which is slightly terrifying. And let's face it, it's so much easier for the mornings to be quiet when Tony doesn't roll out of bed before eleven on days when there's nothing to do or a company to avoid running.

**Nudists**

Modesty is a rare thing between them. They have to know so much about each other in order to fight as a cohesive team. Everyone has seen Bruce naked. The guys treat the locker room in their private gym the same way twelve-year-old boys treat a locker room. And when Natasha is feeling mischevious, or bored, she crosses over to their side of the changing area, not wanting to leave a conversation started in the boxing ring unfinished. Clint's the only one who will keep eye contact with her while changing, but a naked Natasha is nothing new to him.


	23. Team

**Contained**

Containment and clean-up duty was the worst. Everyone on the team felt so, but few vocalized the thought. The adrenaline was too high for them to calmly help clean up their miss and wait for more SHIELD authorities to come on to the now settled scene to carry off the villain of the day. It was bad enough trying to coax the Hulk into calming himself and giving them Bruce back. Add to that dealing with burning cars and buildings, rapid onset exhaustion, and the dread of knowing there'd be a debrief within the next two hours. Battles weren't fun.

**Left-handed**

Coulson entered the firing range to find Clint practicing right-handed, shaking his head at the sight. "Please don't do that on a mission."

"I haven't since New Mexico, sir."

Coulson's retort quickly died on his lips. Any reference to Clint's ability take down a demi-god with an arrow was dangerous. Phil wasn't present for Barton's attempt to take out Loki, but Natasha had told him what happened.

The downside of spending so much time together is that Clint knew what Phil was thinking. Coulson watched Barton's shoulders drop and the look of fear, anger, and vengeance quickly cross his face.

**Double-cross**

Natasha still received offers from SHIELD's enemies; they promised quite lucrative rewards if she would be willing to double-cross her team. Some even enticed her attention for a moment or two, but she never accepted any of them. Some she tucked away for future's sake if she ever needed a good cover or blackmail on a potential threat. Some she took to Coulson to keep up appearances of being forthcoming with information, even though he certainly knew she was hiding most of the offers, and other she openly laughed at—as much as she could ever openly laugh at something.

**Creakiest**

There was a loud thud followed by a shuddering groan as Thor landed his large frame on the right wing of the Quinjet.

"Dammit," Clint muttered as he scrambled to stabilize everything. "Stark!" he shouted over his right shoulder, "Either tell him to knock that off or reinforce the hell out of the wings. If he keeps it up, one of 'em will sheer off and then we're all screwed."

"You mean those of us who can't fly."

"I'm not wearing those stupid repulsor boots. I get enough Cupid jokes as it is without flying around, thank you very much."

**Hamburger**

It was difficult finding a good burger in New York. They were either a frozen patty or some fancy-shmancy dinner that Clint never felt comfortable eating. The art associated with food should come from the taste, not the appearance.

Being picky about beef was one of the few ties he still had to his Iowan childhood. People take their meat seriously in the Midwest. Steaks were easy to come by, but there had been a time or two where he would get on his bike and ride for two hours just to visit a decent diner to satisfy his craving.


	24. Bruce & Thor

**Same**

The team treats both of them the same. Bruce doesn't believe they should. He can still remember the look of sheer terror in Natasha's eyes as he crashed the helicarrier behind her.

Yet, it doesn't matter to his teammates who or what he is. It should. They should want to be as far from him as possible, but they don't. Tony loves having in him the lab, Natasha brews him herbal tea after missions, and the others laugh and joke with him. They ride in elevators with him, for heaven's sake. Who would do that knowing what he's capable of?

**Acceptance**

It takes years, but eventually Bruce comes to peace with his dual identity. The Hulk has been okay with it for a while now. As long as he gets to come out to play and smash every now and then, he can be content to lurk in the recesses of Bruce's mind between missions.

Bruce was terrified of staying in New York with all its inhabitants this long, but it has let him see that both sides of him are capable of doing great good. His greatest fear was to make friends, but that seems to have worked out, too.

**Home**

Thor watches images of deep space where his home realm lies. Jane did her best to get the highest magnification possible on the pictures, but his home is still too far to see.

He struggles with that word: home. Where is it now? Does it lie with the All-Father, his great warrior friends, and the beauty that is Asgard. Or does it now lie with the lovely Jane Foster, Thor's fellow Avengers, and the wonder that is Midgard. Many times he feels his heart being pulled in two directions, and has great uncertainty as to which path he should follow.

**Brother**

Thor paces many nights away in his quarters mindlessly tossing Mjolnir back and forth between his large hands. He does not speak openly about his feelings towards his brother among the Avengers. They do not see eye to eye on the matter, and Thor certainly understands why not.

He still struggles to understand why Loki would do such things. He desperately wants to believe that it was the Tesseract's hold on him that led to all the destruction, but he must also admit to himself that Loki still had to seek it and its power out in the first place.

**Storms**

Whenever Thor is woken by the sounds of thunder crashing through the skies of New York City, his heart seizes for a moment. He is somewhat scared to roll over to make sure Mjolnir is still resting on the ground by the side of his bed where he left it before falling asleep. His mind is gone, back to New Mexico, back to standing in the rain hefting with all of his might. He worries for a split second that his power has once more been stripped from him. Gingerly, he reaches down and inhales before lifting the great hammer.


	25. Team

**Decode**

It's a constant competition between Tony and SHIELD's security system with the network. There's a whole department of tech wizards and former hacking convicts occupying SHIELD computers in effort to keep everything locked down. Tony tries to infiltrate the system as a way to wind down and fall asleep. He laughs to himself and admires the cuteness of their attempted techniques. Sometimes he waits a bit to break the latest update; he remembers what it's like to be young and feel constantly defeated (knows what it's like when you're older, too), so he gives them reprieves every now and then.

**Disfigures**

There are marks all over Natasha's body, some visible and some not. Scars from various wounds litter her petite form; she can easily recite the incident causing each one. There are four spots on her skin that will never have sensation again. It would be much worse if not for her bio-enhancements. There's a constant ache in her spine from being thrown around too often. And she always knows when it is about to rain by a dull throbbing in right hip.

And those are just the physical ailments and scars. Let's not even get started on the mental ones.

**Snowier**

Thor awoke, took a look out the window, and bellowed, "Assemble!" It took an hour for them, half-suited up before they realized what was actually happening, to explain to the Asgardian prince that they were not in any danger. Thor saw the piles of snow rapidly accumulating and covering the New York City sidewalks and had wrongly assumed the Frost Giants had found a way to attack his beloved Midgard. He learned a new word that day: "blizzard". He also learned about snow angels and men of snow—far less dangerous and certainly more festive than frosty inhabitants of Jotunheim.

**Several**

It takes a minimum of three hefty injuries for Clint to be willing to report to medical on his own, or even go easily when Natasha begins threatening him. He doesn't like to go because the doctors are idiots, and he's been hurt enough times on missions to know how to administer most types of care himself. It drives Coulson nuts. The handler does all he can to make sure there are no supplies around to set bones, or else he's pretty sure Barton would have tried to tend to his own compound leg fracture on that mission to Thailand.

**Asymptotes**

On bad nights he very nearly smothers her. Pepper does her best to breathe and soothe him, but he's restless in his nightmare-filled sleep. He pulls her closer to him, nuzzling his body fully against hers. He curves around her in a desperate attempt to make their two bodies one, but he's never successful. He can never eliminate all the distance between them. Pepper finally wakes him from muttering Obie's name in his sleep. Tony shakes his head at old memories and loosens his arms around her. He whispers apologies, and she plays with his hair until he's asleep again.


	26. Team

**Wither**

Coulson took a moment from filing endless paperwork to look out the small window in his office. It's still difficult to believe that this is his new normal. Natasha was right: this is monsters and magic and nothing they were ever trained for. This first occurred to him after the incident at that convenience store on the way to New Mexico. His life was no longer crime syndicates and government usurpers. Well, it was, but now on a galactic scale. This was so much more dangerous that even he needed a minute now and then to try and process things.

**Perversity**

It's a game they try and play when Pepper or Coulson isn't around: Let's Corrupt Captain America. Tony started it, not surprising at all, and they don't get to play that often, because when isn't Coulson keeping an eye on things? The answer is never. As much as Tony enjoys playing, everyone admits that the clear favorite on winning round after round is Natasha. That woman can drink all of them under the table without batting an eyelash, tell the dirtiest jokes while keeping a soft feminine appeal, and swear like a sailor in nearly every language known to man.

**Interracial**

Another message from Odin, and another statement of disapproval on the matter of Jane Foster. Thor knows there is some wisdom in the All-Father's words, and deep down he can acknowledge that Odin is looking out for his son, but Thor cannot ignore the way his heart swells for the astrophysicist. Yet he is aware that he will outlive her by eons, that she could never produce him an heir. It could be worthwhile, anyway. He could be with her for a handful of years, even if it surely meant mourning her loss for the rest of his long days.

**Bridges**

Doing what they were doing went against what most of them firmly believed. Most of the team had learned—either through training or life being cruel—that it's unwise to build connections with people. Natasha was raised to believe that humans were pawns that you used to accomplish your missions, nothing more. Clint found himself believing that it was only a matter of time before everyone hurt you. Bruce knew it was only a matter of time before he hurt all of them. And Tony saw "friends" (with the exception of three people) as those who wanted to use him.

**Unfordable**

Steve gently rested his sizable hand on the outdated globe he kept in his quarters. For the thousandth time he measured the distance between New York and England with the length of a finger. By that measure, the distance seemed so very small. In reality, especially when you counted in the implications of what going there meant, the distance was nearly insurmountable. But he had committed. Peggy was told about what happened and asked to see him. He could never tell her no, only give lies of comfort. The following morning he would board a plane to cross the Atlantic.


	27. Steve

**Leech**

Steve still hasn't adjusted to the spacious quarters in Stark Tower, and secretly hopes that he never will. He's pretty sure every single other barrack, quarters, tent, and apartment he's previously lived in could fit within the space. He itches with discomfort at all its opulence: refrigerator filled with whatever food he requests, easy access to high-tech training equipment, and a view of the New York skyline to die for. He has to constantly remind himself that this is how Tony shows his version of affection—by spoiling the people he likes with more things than they could ever need.

**Oil**

He breathes easier now that he has a motorcycle again. The rare times when he can break free of traffic and ride are bliss. The throttle of the engine drowns out whatever thoughts preoccupy his mind. He takes pride in the machine, personally maintaining its upkeep as much as his knowledge and large hands allow. Clint suggests letting Tony fiddle with it like he did with Barton's motorcycle, but Steve smiles and shakes off the recommendation. Steve has no need for all the bells and whistles that Stark installed on Clint's bike, if it can still technically be called that.

**Song**

It's the little things that send him reeling these days, leaving him feeling alone and ancient. Last week it was spotting a lamp similar to one the Barnes' had (before Bucky broke it) sitting in the window of an antiques store.

Antique.

Yesterday it was overhearing a snippet from someone's personal music player. Steve was walking back to the Tower when his enhanced hearing caught a few familiar notes. It was a song one of the USO girls used to sing when applying makeup. He can't remember her last name, but his chest tightened with missing her all the same.

**Turf**

A year passes before he voluntarily steps foot into Brooklyn. He stands at what once was a familiar intersection for a moment with a rapid pulse. Taking a deep, calming breath he uses his artist's eyes to look at the buildings surrounding him. Mentally, he peels away signs, paint, and unfamiliar logos to see the structure that lied beneath. He traces lines in his mind, reacquainting himself with the architecture. Once that is done he can see his old memories fade into the present layout of things and realizes that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

**Hospital**

He tries to spend a few hours a week volunteering at a children's hospital in mid-town. They all only know him as Steve. He commiserates with kids on what it's like to be sick all the time. He brings hand drawn pieces in for the younger kids to color, and he shows the older patients how to make their own cartoons. He sits and listens to them, tells them bad jokes. He always makes sure to bring in treats for the nurses. He thanks them for their hard work, knowing full-well how much energy his mother devoted to the profession.


	28. Team

**Textual**

SHIELD has computer files, obviously, but all the high-level documents are still kept on paper—something tangible, harder to steal, and easier to burn. It's a perk about the job that Coulson likes. He prefers his files to be filled out with his trusty Mont Blanc than on a computer station. It's his cathartic way of expending any excess energy leftover from a newly completed mission. Forcing himself to maintain impeccable penmanship means that his hands can't shake. Ensuring all the proper queries are answered forces his mind to compartmentalize what he's just been through and focus on something else.

**Scratchiest**

Little known fact: mosquitos love the taste of Asgardian blood. Thor had taken Jane for a walk in Central Park late one summer evening. The next day there were insect bites all over his arms and face. He cursed and bellowed at the offensive itching and scratched at the sites like mad. They painted him with calamine lotion, which Natasha took pictures of for various reasons, and duct taped oven mitts over his sizeable hands. It was like dealing with gigantic three-year-old with chicken pox. But the knowledge was handy the next time Loki attacked while Pym was in town.

**Pandemonium**

When things go so bad that calling in back-up is required, things can get a little hairy, and not just for whichever villains are feeling like causing trouble. Cap repeats the order of keeping comm lines clear of chatter time and time again, but no one listens. There is territory, reputations, and disgustingly huge egos at stake. With the Avengers in Midtown, Fantastic Four in the financial district, and X-Men covering everything north of Central Park, the SHIELD higher-ups have migraines that increase in intensity with every challenge the superheroes throw at each other and not their dangerous, common enemy.

**Serendipity**

Battles are sheer chaos. High intelligence and quick-thinking strategy skills are mandatory to be an Avenger. Maria Hill shakes her head watching replays of the previous day's skirmish with AIM at the quickness of them all. They have certainly improved since that first battle of New York. They can read each other easily, know where the others are and where they need to go, fire off shots protecting each other's blind spots as easily as breathing. Maria still can't believe they can function this well together. These individuals should never be able to successfully fight together to constantly save humanity.

**Integrals**

Math never stops in Tony's brain. It's his lifeblood. Numbers make sense, most of the time. Usually when they don't it can be easily explained by alcohol, sleep-deprivation, pushing the boundaries of science into uncharted territory, or some combination thereof.

Life can be easily dictated be ancient formulae and theories. There are constants. And he needs those, both in numbers and in people. Pepper is a constant, so is Rhodey. But Tony's been led along by false numbers before. This leads him to being unsure whether or not to assign permanence to the team and repeat his mistake with Obadiah.


	29. Steve

**Becomes**

Tony loaned him of one of his jets, and Steve boards it to fly across the Atlantic. He hasn't slept in days in anticipation of this trip. What will Peggy be like? What will she think of him? He brought his shield just in case she has a firearm within reach again.

A car is there waiting to drive him to a small two-story home. A young man with brown eyes introducing himself as a grandson ushers Steve into living room. His eyes find hers immediately. Those haven't changed, but everything else about her is so different yet so familiar.

**Bandage**

They spend hours talking that first afternoon, once one of them can find the words to start the conversation. And it's mostly her talking since she hasn't spent the vast majority of the last seventy years asleep. She tells him about her husband—gone for ten years now—their kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. It doesn't hurt as bad as he thought it would to listen to her tell how she got on with life. Not easily at first, but she did. He's happy one of them got to live the life he'd secretly planned for them all those years ago.

**Bereavement**

It's two months after his visit that she passes away, quietly in her sleep. They've stayed in regular contact since the trip writing actual letters back in forth. They both found joy in resuming correspondence with someone that involves actual handwriting.

He's asked to give a speech at the funeral, and finds himself unsure of what to say. But he summons the words: praises her bravery and intelligence, tells jokes about how everyone in his unit tried to impress her, and told them she played a huge role in making Steve the man he was in more ways than one.

**Necessities**

After the service, he's invited to Peggy's small home for a meal with the family. He tries to talk his way out of it at first, but the same grandson, Patrick, who greeted him at the door persuades him to join. After they eat, Patrick takes him upstairs and hands Steve a box, telling him that his grandmother wanted him to have it. Steve gingerly takes the package and thanks the younger man. He doesn't open it until he returns to New York. It contains another set of memorabilia from World War II. He puts it away in a closet.

**Concessions**

The box remains there for two months. He still hasn't looked totally through it, and is constantly fighting off the urge to hand it over to Coulson so he can add to his own collection of Captain America paraphernalia. But one day he can't stand it anymore. He reads the letters in her careful handwriting. Letters to him after he's gone. Letters about how she's moving on even though it hurts.

He sets the pages down on his table and moves to look out the window. He's lost the one contemporary he had; maybe it's time he moves on, too.


	30. Pepper

**Fireplace**

Pepper loves the rare nights where she can curl up with Tony on the couch and listen to the crackle of the fireplace. Of course they can never just lay there and enjoy each other's company, they're both far too busy for that, and frankly neither of them knows how to relax. So they'll sit there with one person resting their head in the other's lap, tapping away at their tablets, mumbling notes and comments under their breaths, and relishing the fact that for the moment the other isn't in harm's way and all is mostly right with the world.

**Ham**

Any time Tony is near a camera, which is often, Pepper fights the urge to shove a handful of antacids into her mouth. It's a Pavlovian response by now. She's put out far too many fires when she was his assistant and now the CEO of his company to have any other reaction. She usually stands off to the side with her thumb hovering over the speed dial button for the PR department.

But there are times where even she can't keep a straight face, and a brief smile crosses her lips. Tony never lets her live those moments down.

**Laser**

She is terrifying in a meeting. She walks in, this petite waif of a creature, looking flawless in her tailored wardrobe and stilettos. And there are still some people who underestimate her abilities. She quickly and efficiently shows them why she's in charge.

Tony knows people are afraid he'll wake up evil one day, but he knows that he would have nothing on Pepper if she decided to become a villain. She could take over the world in a single afternoon if she wanted. It would be cake compared to taking care of him for as long as she has.

**Wine**

Some nights Pepper allows herself a congratulatory glass of wine for surviving the day. Some nights it's a congratulatory bottle. Those days in particular usually involve three bad meetings at work, breaking a heel, and being too focused on a lunch meeting to not pay attention to her food and staining her outfit.

Or just her boyfriend deciding it would be a good idea (which, ultimately she will agree with) to fly a nuclear missile through a wormhole into some part of space that is light years away to defeat a group of aliens. That qualifies as a drink-the-whole-bottle day.

**Race**

She watches live news coverage of the Avengers initial battle as she flies back across the country. She silently wills the aircraft to move faster. She needs to get to Tony. Now. The tiny, rational part of her mind reminds her that there isn't a lot she could do in this situation, but she still needs to be there.

She watches him fly into the portal and doesn't breathe again until she spots the familiar armor coming back down to earth. Too quickly. Her heart rate spikes again as his speeding form falls beneath the skyline and out of sight.


	31. Clint/Coulson

**Message**

Clint awoke in medical to find a note taped to his forehead:

_You will not leave without being discharged. You will not go to the range until I clear you. Failure to comply will result in me snapping every arrow within twenty miles into teeny tiny pieces and using them as confetti to throw a ticker-tape parade for Doctor Richards. Yes, Richards._

Clint crumpled the note and threw it into the wastebasket across the room. He knew better to test Coulson after missions where one of them nearly bled out in the field. Barton sighed and settled into the bed.

**Boots**

Coulson could always tell when Clint was coming up the corridor behind him, and not always by the sound of his asset running his mouth or singing whatever song was stuck in his head. It was the boots that were a dead giveaway. Phil supposed that the sound of his unique footwear gave his identity away, too, but they did not clunk as loud as Barton's well-worn combat boots. Coulson hadn't ever bothered even trying to get Clint to wear regulation shoes; he knew it would be a waste of time and Phil was a master at picking his battles.

**Stone**

The junior agents make jokes about their "resting faces". Barton's looks like he's planning on how he's going to murder you slowly, chop your body into tiny pieces, and then cook it in a stew to feed to your grandmother. Coulson's is so calm and pleasant that he is probably mentally anticipating the next time he could get to volunteer at an animal shelter and care for small, fuzzy things. But in reality, Coulson was probably mapping out the next hundred moves in SHIELD's many chess games. And Barton is probably lamenting the fact that he currently isn't eating food.

**Shark**

They're stuck on an op. They can't communicate with SHIELD and their evac date was pushed back two weeks. They need money. Coulson refuses to let Barton pickpocket cash off any person or establishment. Instead they go to a seedy bar. Inside there are a handful of men huddled around a local pool game variant. Coulson, looking odd to Clint without his signature Dolce, gently nudges Barton towards the bar and out of the way. Phil assumes his pleasant, naïve demeanor that is useful when duping idiots and spends the next few hours hustling the men and their wallets clean.

**Cloud**

He knows he's in medical. Remembers falling from his perch and getting shot on the way down. Again.

But something's different.

Through the haze he hears an angry voice. It takes his sedative-laden brain a minute to place its owner, but then it clicks in and remembers the face of the new, mild-mannered handler Barton was tasked to for the mission.

At least Clint thought he was mild-mannered.

Even through the drugs, his mind catalogs this as rare. He's used to hearing his handlers raise their voice, but it's usually directed at him instead of in his defense.

That's new.


	32. Team

**Relentless**

Of the six Avengers, it is internationally known that the one you do not want as an enemy is unanimously Natasha. Sometimes life around her can be terrifying enough when you're on her good side. But anything less than that? Enjoy what little life you have left, because she will make every second miserable. There are a few occasions where she's accomplished that task by doing nothing at all, letting the fear of her name and reputation do all the work until her mark crumbles and begins to blab for hours about things their superiors swore them to secrecy on.

**Heeding**

They all wish the evil of the universe would listen better to them about how seriously they take their duties of protecting Earth. But they never do, and probably never will. They keep attacking the Earth, and keep—thankfully—losing. There are close calls, but so far no resounding failures. It's exhausting.

None of them would rather do anything else or have any plans to quit, but seriously—what is it going to take to convince the villains of the galaxy that they are not to be trifled with? Because apparently their undefeated record just isn't going to cut it.

**Bingo**

Tony relishes the rush of endorphins that comes whenever he is able to find a solution to a task or problem. There are few greater joys than having your crazy imagination come up with something every being on earth would label as impossible, but yours clicks all the right information together to make it feasible. He can't help but let a little, high-pitched giggle out whenever it happens. For a mere second it gives his mind peace—the puzzle is solved. But the next second, another challenge lays itself out and he has to start the process all over again.

**Daring**

Clint Barton is, physically, the least qualified to be on the team. But does that stop him from doing everything everyone else does? Nope. It's probably why his medical file is the thickest. Because he's an idiot. Coulson and Natasha remind him of this on a regular basis. Usually when he's just regaining consciousness in medical. The others join in on the reminder because they find it amusing. Only Cap says it with a modicum of concern and apathy for Hawkeye and his myriad injuries. Thor claps on the back and tells him he will sing songs of his bravery.

**Defrosts**

Steve hates being cold. Thankfully his metabolism rate is off the charts, so it doesn't happen that often. But when the first winter hits since his time in the ice, he never steps outside without multiple layers, gloves, scarf, and hat. He ends up sweating within seconds, but for now his mind still can't handle being surrounded by coldness. He tells the others that he bundles up that much to try and hide his identity. They nod, smile, and play along because they all have their own triggers and they're not about to mock someone who's in the same boat.


	33. Loki

**Kidnap**

It was easy to entice Doctor Selvig's mind; thus, making it all the more simple to take control of it. Scientists can never turn down the chance to work with something new, exotic, and shiny. And once he received help to strengthen his power, Loki was able to whisper and maneuver Selvig into his prized position at SHIELD and made things ready to take over Midgard. Plans were falling into places. Not necessarily his, but as long things ended with the mere mortals kneeling at his feet, Loki did not care. At least that was what he kept telling himself.

**Screwdriver**

The Tesseract instructed him to find a tool when he portaled into the SHIELD facility on Midgard. Loki's now blue eyes swept the room as he dispatched of pathetic and futile attempts to stop him before falling on the smaller man with brown hair. Extending his scepter to touch the other man's chest, Loki complimented him on his heart. He could sense it: the man's knowledge and strength. He would be integral in setting things in motion, and Loki was happy to share with him the insight the cube gave to all who were willing to release themselves to it.

**Gallows**

In moments of clarity, when he could shake the enforcing presence of the cube from his brain, Loki found himself short of breath at the thought of all the damage he was causing. It was not a thrill of excitement that was coursing through his body, but rather pangs of fear. If Odin or Thor were to get their hands on him, things would not end well. Loki'd lost control in an attempt to find some sort of peace in power, but it was too late to turn back now. He surrendered his mind once more to the powerful energy.

**Outside**

He took a deep breath when he strode out onto the burning German streets before ordering the terrified civilians to kneel. The air was cold and delicious in his lungs, especially after spending so much time under the ground in preparation for the next stage of their attack. He did not want to live in shadows—he'd been doing that all his life. It was his turn to step into the open, make his name famous, and rule all of those who were under him. He did not care who would try to stop him, they would most certainly fail.

**Supplies**

Despite all the planning, manipulation, monsters, and magic, it had not been enough. His mind cleared of the energy's power and he saw for the first time the damage he'd caused. Architecture in flames, bodies to be buried. He did not feel proud about this, but he didn't feel entirely remorseful either. Loki did avoid looking into his brother's hurt eyes as much as possible. He did not want to receive judgment from the favored son—true born son—of Odin. There would be plenty of that coming from the All Father. Loki repressed a shudder at that particular thought.


	34. Natasha

**Gown**

The evening dress she wears is tight, leaving little to the imagination. The neckline plunges and the slit in the skirt comes nearly to her hip. She knows it will be effective in accomplishing her mission—making sure the General's eyes are on her and not Sitwell as he sneaks up the stairs to infiltrate the officer's private study. The dress limits the number of weapons she could hide on her body, not that she needs the extra help, but she still wishes she could hide more. She takes comfort in the fact that Hawkeye has her in his sight.

**Improbabilities**

Clint and Natasha hang out with Phil in his quarters. They're more than willing to listen to him geek out on the Captain America paraphernalia Phil received from the man himself as a Congratulations-On-Not-Really-Being-Dead present because he's there, talking, and alive.

Natasha's attention is drawn to one of the pictures. In it, Steve—it still is bizarre to her that he looks the same now as he did seventy years ago—has his arm wrapped around a man with brown hair and a slight smile. Her breath catches in her chest as she looks intently at the other man—impossible.

**Wiggles**

The first thing she does most mornings is to sit on the edge of her bed. She starts the motion in her toes and wakes her way up lithe body. She wiggles her toes, rolls her ankles, and slowly moves the motion up to her neck until all her joints have finished popping and cracking. The process seems to take a little longer and gain a bit of volume with each mission she comes back from. Once this morning tradition is finished, then she takes a deep breath and sets her feet on the ground to tackle a new day.

**Liars**

She rarely believes a word anyone says to her, and they should have enough sense to treat her the same way. She was raised by liars and knows nothing else. There are a few she can trust to be honest, mostly Steve and Thor. Perhaps that's why she doesn't always mind being around Tony, especially when his hands are busy. In those moments what little filter his brain and mouth possess is rendered completely useless and she can ask him about anything and receive an honest opinion in return. Some days she prefers listening to people who lie to her.

**Upbraid**

For the hundredth time, she curses the fact that she had to cut her red locks off after several inches of her hair was singed in a firefight months ago. With her hair this short, there's not enough material for elaborate styles that are so convenient for hiding pins, which can be used to pick locks on doors or handcuffs. The latter is keeping her tied to a heavy metal table at the moment. Natasha knows she could wedge her hands free, but it would require damaging her thumbs, and she will have to fight her way out of here.


	35. Coulson

**Tray**

Coulson walked into the infirmary with a tray containing a covered dish. Clint, who had taken a bullet to the abdomen the day before tried to sit up only to wince and stay put. "Please tell me you smuggled in some good stuff."

"Definitely good stuff," Phil answered. He set the tray down on the small, rolling table that stretched over Barton's bed and lifted the lid with a flourish.

Clint moaned at the sight. "I can barely move, and now you're going to force feed me only vegetables?"

"Next time don't get shot and I'll find you a cheeseburger."

**Doughnut**

Vending machine doughnuts became a coping mechanism for him. When the world grows a little too crazy, he calms himself by treating his sweet tooth. Granted over the years, the situations have become more intense, but he tries not to think about that too much or else he'll replace the doughnuts with a bottle from Natasha's vodka stash. He knows it's going to be a bad day whenever he walks into a meeting with Fury and Hill and both of them are holding the tiny packages out for him to choose between chocolate and powdered sugar. Usually he eats both.

**Number**

He's used to his assets going AWOL on him. Well, maybe not "used to", but he knows how to handle it. They get 36 hours to make some kind of contact with him before he passes word up the chain of command that something may have happened. At 48 hours he starts running down leads in earnest and putting out feelers to networks to see what may have happened. At 72 hours, he starts to grow concerned. And if you are holding one of his agents hostage, then you'd better let them go because a concerned Phil Coulson is terrifying.

**Epidemic**

He can always tell when Tony Stark has been invited to SHIELD headquarters to consult. There's a buzz around the place with junior agents whispering to each other and some even having the gall to giggle briefly in anticipation. They have obviously never met the man. Phil resists the urge to roll his eyes at the childishness. They have no clue what a complete pain in the ass Stark is to deal with. And what makes it worse is the fact that Fury is right: Iron Man would be essential to the team. Good luck getting him without Tony.

**Entrance**

He loves making an entrance, especially when it's up to him to save the day or rescue an agent. Coulson comes sweeping in the door in his impeccable suit that doesn't have a speck of dirt nor wrinkle. In his hands is an oversized firearm and his eyes are covered by sunglasses. Yes, even at night. He relishes that moment of shock from villains' faces that a meek mannered man like him was able to bypass their security. He then begins the task of politely requesting that he give them back what's his or things will go badly for them.


	36. Thor

**Volcano**

Thor's temper is similar to a volcano—most of the time it lays dormant. It's no coincidence that he's everyone's favorite because he is so easy to be around, so great at making everyone feel better about themselves. The majority of time he's something that people look at, recognize its strength power, but mostly comment about the lovely scenery.

But there are eruptions. Thankfully, also like a volcano, there are warning signs. Pacing is never good; pacing while tossing Mjonir back and forth between his hands is even worse. And when he blows, it's considered an act of (a) god.

**Singer**

Thor loves drinking songs. Clint, who sings constantly, is more than happy to join in. Bruce will hum along quietly with a wistful look on his face. Natasha pretends not to know them until Thor politely requesst she join them, then she caves because it's hard for even her to tell him no. Steve sits back a little bit from the group and tries to ignore the dull ache that forms in his chest whenever the Avengers remind him of the Howling Commandos. And Tony, depending on his blood alcohol level, will either ignore them all or sing the loudest.

**Magazine**

Interactions between the press and members of the Avengers Initiative are tightly controlled by SHIELD for plenty of obvious reasons. While Thor is the most congenial of the group, he does not understand the meaning of "spin" when it comes to the press. There are a few instances where he's been misquoted or things were taken out of context, and those are never fun days for Coulson. It usually means the handler is trying to calm a massive Asgardian prince who is vowing to exact vengeance for twisting his words into lies and spreading them among his beloved Midgardian public.

**Brother**

There are times where he misses Loki so much it hurts. Thor longs for the days before his coronation when they could laugh and joke together. He doesn't share these feelings with anyone except Jane. His team members will be polite and listen to him when he feels homesick and longs for the past, but Thor notices the masks that slide into place whenever Loki's name is said. He understands why they don't share fondness for Loki. Thor was devastated at the destruction he helped cause. But it hurts even more than Loki refuses to make amends and come home.

**Danger**

Thor thrives on battles. He's come a long way from the immature man who sought vengeance from the Frost Giants on his own, but that doesn't mean his blood does sing when weapons are drawn. He enjoys the challenges battles bring him, but he no longer seeks them out for his own amusement. And battles are different with the Avengers than with the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Despite their strengths and powers, there are still tiny, frail humans. He loves their bravery and warrior's spirit, but he tries to hide how anxious for their safety he sometimes is.


	37. Steve

**Italy**

Just once in his life, Steve Rogers would like to visit Italy without guns being fired at him. He and Natasha are tasked with doing recon on a possible new cell group rising up. Natasha is familiar with some of the seedier players in the area, and despite seventy years passing since Cap's last visit, not that much has changed in this part of the country. He tells her they should get the job done quickly in hopes of enjoying a plate of authentic pasta before pulling out. She smiles and pats his shoulder. She's right—it probably won't happen.

**Herb**

He secretly loves the fact that he gets to eat all the time. His quadrupled metabolism lets him sample all kinds of delicious cuisine, and since he has the money to eat just about anywhere he wants he takes advantage of it. It's the one area where he indulges spending absurd amounts of cash. And the diversity of cuisine in New York is amazing. He loves trying new food from new places, but rarely do any of them beat the taste and conversation that comes with a meal that Bruce has prepared for all of them to share for dinner.

**Kiss**

"Will you please go over there and make out with any of those women who are begging you to do so?"

Steve looks up from the rubble he's helping Thor clear out of the street. "Are you talking to me?"

Stark rolls his eyes. "Yes, Embodiment of Physical Perfection. I can't. I love Pepper, I do, but I miss that. I need to live vicariously through someone."

Steve shakes his head. "I'm not going to kiss someone I don't know."

"I'll go," Natasha calls over the comms.

Tony jumps in response. "That woman terrifies me."

"Your comm's still live, Tony."

**Bullet**

He hears Thor bellow a warning, but can't get his shield swung around in time. The bullet rips through his right shoulder. His body and shield drop down to the ground. He can hear distant voices calling to him, but it's hard to hear over the gunfire and his own groans of pain. He gives himself two seconds to lay on the ground in self-pity before picking the shield up with his off hand and assures the others he'll be fine. And he will be. His body will quickly heal, but that doesn't make taking a bullet hurt any less.

**Horseshoe**

He used to mock his soldiers for their habits of thinking random events were omens foreshadowing their fates, and the Avengers aren't any better. Clint will walk into the common area and declare that he broke a shaft on the range; therefore, someone vicious will attack soon. Thor becomes unsettled whenever he sees birds flying in an unusual pattern. Tony assumes any day that has him awake before seven in the morning is going to be absolute trouble. Steve likes to think that he doesn't have any quirks, but knows better any time there's fights near trains or around ice.


	38. Team

**Laughter**

It's a contest they developed soon after forming the team: who can make Natasha laugh out loud. The most amused response they can garner from her is a sharp, soundless exhale accompanied by quick, soft smile. They've heard her laugh before; it's happened while she was working undercover, but when it's just her it's near impossible. They all have a different approach: physical comedy, bad jokes, dirty jokes, bribery, but still nothing was successful yet. A side bet developed on whether or not Natasha was actually human or if her bio-enhancements had stripped her of the ability to feel joy.

**Tears**

Pepper waits till he's fallen asleep before she lets the tears fall. She can't say for sure why she's crying this time—Tony almost dying again, having to watch the whole thing live on the news, not being there, losing Phil, having this world that she thought she was finally grown accustomed to be dumped on its head all over again. She gives herself five minutes to cry, no more. She doesn't have time for more. She's got a business to run, a friend to mourn, and an insane boyfriend to keep in line and alive as much as possible.

**Blood-Smeared Glass**

They're too far away to stop it, but all too close to watch Natasha be thrown through the glass window. The comms go silent for a second before its chaos. Barton and Coulson shout over each other to say the same thing: "Sitrep on Black Widow. Now." One uses less emotion and fewer curses, but the anxiety is the same.

Cap tries to ignore the blood on the edges of the glass he steps through. There's more blood surrounding the limp, petite form on the ground. He lets out a sigh of relief when he can find her faint pulse.

**Brother**

Thor dreams of his brother at least once a week. Some are fond memories, others are images he'd like to forget forever. Still more include conversations where their relationship is like it once was; where words come with ease and there's no sign of hatred or jealousy. Those dreams are the worst. They taunt Thor, showing him what will probably never be again. But it never strips his hopes that maybe, someday, Loki will repent of his ways and return home to his family on Asgard. Not as a prisoner, not as someone who should be feared and locked away.

**Ice**

Bruce's picks ice skating for his turn on planning their night out's activities. Steve laces up his skates and reminds himself continuously that the ice is only a few inches thick, that he isn't go to drown in it. He feels eyes on him and looks up to see Natasha raise an eyebrow in silent concern.

He shrugs and tries to play off the obvious. "I was never good at this before."

"I'm sure you'll manage fine now." She sits on the bench beside him and loops an arm through his. "You fall down, I promise I'll fall with you."

**Cold**

Clint tries to contain his shivering and his bad mood, but he can only hold out for so long. He looks three feet to his right where there's a patch of sunlight warming the rooftop. It looks so inviting, but he can't give away his location. "Are we about done here?" he asks quietly over comms. "I'm freezing and this guy isn't going to show. We've waited for three hours."

"Maybe if someone stopped insisting on sleeveless uniforms," Coulson answered, "they wouldn't break comm silence to complain about temperatures."

"You know my sexy arms cannot be contained."

"Shut up, Barton."

**Fear**

Tony is afraid of mice. You know he's seen a rat because you can hear his girly scream or, if he's in the suit, the whine of the repulsors as he tries to shoot it. Granted, Stark has always been rich and therefore has never had to live in a place that was infested with rodents like the rest of the them have at some point time. Well, except for that one time he had to live in a cave in Afghanistan. Once Pepper reminds all of them of that, they back off some and apologize for the jokes.

**Change**

Jasper resisted the urge to hug Coulson as soon as the other man came into his line of sight. The reason was two-fold: his dear friend and closest colleague just returned from the dead, and Sitwell was no longer responsible for handling the Avengers Initiative. Jasper had only been their handler for about a month, but he was the sixth one in the position after Coulson played dead. He'd avoided the job like the plague because there were too many memories of Phil and not nearly enough coping mechanisms in the world to help him deal with these crazy people.

**Alone**

It's a dull ache in his chest that Steve can't always shake. It hits him when he remembers everyone he ever knew is gone. Sometimes it will be in the middle of the night when he's half-awake, rolling over to quietly tell Bucky in the next bunk about the weird dream he just had. But then his eyes will open and he'll remember what year it is. It's getting easier; the team has wormed its way into his heart and helped him a lot, but it makes the times when he forgets what century he's in all the more difficult.

**Family**

Fury was successful in making them a team. They've even gone so far as to become a dysfunctional family of sorts. While it's great for relying on each other in times of battle, it can be potentially lethal the rest of the time. Like a bunch of siblings who spend all their time around each other, they know exactly how to push each other's buttons and the worst way to piss the others off. But also like a bunch of siblings, if anyone from the outside tries to do the same, they'll receive the wrath of the combined family unit.


	39. Bruce

**Stream**

The information, knowledge, theories, equations, and data never stop running in his mind. It doesn't haunt or antagonize him like Stark says it does him. The constant running of numbers and ideas isn't what causes Bruce's insomnia. That lies with memories, faces that are gone. They're not dead, but as far as his life goes, things are done and over with them. So he takes advantage of the constant stream of knowledge and relies on it to bring him to new faces and friends. To do new good and learn new things that will benefit everyone, not just the military.

**Brooch**

It's the one trinket that he's carried with him wherever he goes. It's a small piece of jewelry that belonged to his late mother. It's cheap in value and appearance, but she didn't let that bother her. He has a very distinct memory of her fastening it onto a blue dress before she and his father left to go to a dinner party. If he tries really hard, he can remember the smell of her perfume and the lilt of her voice as she gave him assurances about the new babysitter that was coming to watch him for the evening.

**Backpack**

Even though he has taken up residence in Stark Tower—a thought that he still can't quite digest some days—his backpack with emergency supplies is always near the door in case he has to run again. His apartment fills with more personal items as his backpack gathers more dust. He knows he should check its inventory more often than he does, but he's beginning to feel at home for the first time since radiation pummeled into his body. No one's ever said anything when they see it still resting by the door. Odds are they have escape plans, too.

**Orchestra**

People assume he has concertos and symphonies constantly playing in his lab when he's by himself so he can keep his heart rate under control. Sure, that's part of it, but it's not the main reason. Bruce took up the viola when he was in sixth grade. He always knew he was destined to be a scientist, but sometimes it was nice to imagine that he became a world-class musician playing with whichever orchestra he wanted and getting to play all the great musical pieces that have been passed down through the centuries instead of running tests and checking results.

**Icon**

He's terrified the first October that hits after the team becomes a thing. He's walking back to the Tower after running out to get a few groceries when he passes one of those temporary Halloween shops that pop up for six weeks out of the year. In the window are costumes on display for every one of every age, including a small set of Avenger costumes. He feels his stomach cramp at the thought of some parent painting their child green and sending them out for candy with a smile and a laugh. How can people see him like that?


	40. Pepper/Tony

**Sick**

Pepper awoke with a soft groan of pain. Her head felt like it had tripled in weight overnight. She sneezed loudly and groaned again. The sound of it caused Tony's eyes to fly open and for him to practically run from the bed.

"Are you sick?" he asked.

She nodded and immediately regretted the motion.

"Okay, well you stay here. Don't leave the room. Bleach or burn everything when you're better. I'm going to go gorge on Vitamin C, find a mask, and stay away from you until you're healthy."

She rolled her eyes, "Thanks for being a supportive boyfriend."

**Falling**

She still gets nervous watching Tony fly. Pepper knows that most of the time he's not on the ground, he's in controlled flight and that JARVIS would never let him fail, but she knew there were times when even the amazing AI was cut off from the suit and Tony went into free fall. Her stomach seemed to drop at the same rate of the Iron Man suit.

She knows she's going to gray early and will probably die of a stroke before she's fifty because of his stunts, but most days she convinces herself that Tony is worth it.

**Awkward**

There are still times when she feels weird and uncomfortable about dating Tony, the man who gave her the title CEO. Usually it only comes up when the cable networks use it as an excuse for whenever stock prices change. When they go down, it means she's incompetent and slept her way into her job. When stocks go up, it's a sign that she and Tony Stark as Iron Man are trying to take over the world with their clean energy and advanced technology that will rule humanity one day. Fox News is usually the only one reporting that story.

**Darkness**

There is a day in the spring where both Tony and Pepper are quick to lose their temper and constantly distracted. Eventually, most people learn to leave them alone as much as possible because, with the exception of Rhodey and Happy (probably JARVIS, as well), they can't quite fully appreciate how much everything changed on the date that Tony was kidnapped. Yes, because of that so many good things have happened, but it was all born of an assassination attempt that led to three of the loneliest months Pepper ever experienced in her life. She hates that date in March.

**Light**

She makes jokes about how his arc reactor is the sole source of their new level of success, but that's because of two reasons. One—she can't take a compliment, not a genuine one from Tony. Two—that little piece of technology does more than protect Tony's heart. It's helped him become the man she always saw lurking inside.

At night she runs her fingers around its circumference over and over again to calm herself to sleep. The touch reminds her that he's still here, he's alive, and that he's as healthy and safe as one Tony Stark can be.


	41. Clint & Natasha

**Running**

They run down Fifth Avenue each providing cover fire for their side of the street against the attacking HYDRA opponents. They both hate being in such an exposed position, especially Hawkeye, but it was the quickest way to regroup with the other Avengers fighting three blocks north of them. They take comfort in the fact that it's the other watching their back. With the exception of Coulson, even though they've been fighting cohesively as a team for eight months now, neither of them would ever trust anyone as much to turn a blind back in the middle of a firefight.

**Quietly**

He knows that he can be loud and often, but Clint is smart enough to recognize when Natasha needs her peace. Most of the time he tries to give her space, but there are dates that she asks him with a plead in her eyes to stay. So he does. Usually he stares out the window, or plays with her hair if he's sure he won't lose a hand for it. He never asks what the dates mean; he doesn't need to know. He sits near her and does what he has always done—gives her a place of safety.

**Heated**

Their fights are epic. Bruce gets out of the vicinity as soon as possible to avoid the stress poured into the environment. Thor stands on the sideline anticipating another legendary battle. Steve quickly learned to stop trying to mediate and instead just let them get it out of their systems. Tony records the whole thing and has JARVIS translate the various languages spoken. Coulson sits nearby finishing paperwork—undoubtedly with tranq darts nearby in case there's a repeat of their fight in the Barcelona safehouse, and waits for the children to stop biting, pulling hair and screaming at each other.

**Bomb**

"Widow, that bomb is set to go off in twenty seconds."

"Coulson, I can disarm it."

"Dammit, Nat, get out of there."

"Shut up, Clint."

Barton counted down. When there was five seconds left he heard vile, Russian swears on the comms. When his count hit zero, he watched the building a block away explode.

Coulson attempted to raise her on the comms for thirty seconds while Clint dashed off the roof, down the fire escape, and towards the flames. The handler ordered him to stay put, but Clint ignored him. He found her, singed but alive, two minutes later.

**Night**

It's not uncommon for them to schedule their sparring practice with each other in the late hours of the night. It's their way of coping. Here they can let out their aggression in a safe place instead of lying in their own beds being haunted by memories and faces that even after all this time they can't tell the other about. So they punch, kick, swing and fight until there is nothing left inside. Then exhausted, they stumbled back to their quarters and pray for dreamless sleep so they can get up in the morning and start everything over again.


	42. Natasha & Steve

**Fiesta**

It started at Stark's Cinco de Mayo party. After they'd each demolished their individually designed piñata (Tony took into account their strengths, weapons choice, and favorite candies when constructing them) Natasha watched Steve's eyes flicker between the couples. Two months had passed since he'd gone to England to attend Peggy's funeral. Maybe he was ready to move on. While she isn't great at romance, it's hard not to help out their lost team leader.

"Need a girlfriend, Cap?" she asked. He sputtered, flushed, and looked her up and down causing her to laugh. "Oh, not me. You couldn't handle me."

**Partnering**

The following Tuesday was rainy and quiet. They snuck away to her quarters. He helped her move furniture to clear a section of the floor. There she taught him a number of dance moves, both classic as well as modern. Once he stopped fretting over stepping on her toes—which only happened twice—he became a fast learner. "Next time, I'll teach you how to tango."

His body seized up. "Isn't that another way to say… fondue?"

She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Sex," he spat out quietly.

"I'm going to have to make you a cheat sheet for slang."

**Demountable**

"You do not have to go on a second date. You do not have to keep up false pretenses just to be your nice and polite self. You don't have to do anything you don't want," Natasha informed him over a sandwich.

Steve smiled, "Whether or not I should keep them around isn't going to be the problem. It's getting the girl in the first place."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Can you actually see what you look like in the mirror or is your brain still stuck on your pre-serum image? Your ass alone is enough to get a girl."

**Fronted**

They decided to have him start on an online dating site. Coulson lost it, but finally was persuaded to give it a go ahead. Natasha tried to find the least attractive and non-Captain America looking picture of Steve she could find, but naturally the man is infuriatingly photogenic. She helps him write a profile that isn't an entire lie—active member of the military (he was technically never discharged), enjoys art, and a good meal (he isn't the best cook but is willing to learn).

He receives a couple hundred messages within the ninety minutes of being on the site.

**Dockers**

Natasha has JARVIS screen the incoming messages to find the best potential dates. His first is tonight and she's in Steve's quarters checking out his outfit.

"Are you sure I look okay?" he asks for the seventh time.

"Yes, you're quite presentable."

"Tony says my fashion sense is outdated."

"Stark owns leopard-print dinner jackets. Plural. You don't need to take fashion advice from him."

He smiles. "Do you think she's as nervous as I am?"

"If she's not, she should be. She has no idea what kind of a great guy she's about to meet."

His smile widens, "Thanks, Natasha."


	43. Coulson

**Pajamas**

Despite popular belief, Phil Coulson does not own Captain America pajamas. To be honest, he doesn't own any pajamas. He can't exactly pinpoint when he developed the habit of sleeping in only sheets, but it was sometime after the Army. He supposes it's a coping mechanism. In order to gain rest, he needs to shed everything he can from the day off of him. He only does it when he's home, when he's safe. It's rare for him to let himself be seen without a couple of layers of clothing when others are around. That, instead, is a defense mechanism.

**Gate**

He takes his job as liaison for the Avengers Initiative seriously, granted that is his usual disposition towards his work, but this position even more so. Being up close and personal, it's easy for him to see the cracks they bear in their armor. These people are willing to lay down their lives for strangers and the protection of the planet day in and day out, so no, if Phil Coulson doesn't think you're worthy of taking up their time, you won't. It doesn't matter if you're a reporter for  _People_  or Director Fury; it's just not going to happen.

**Trade**

He keeps his Captain America memorabilia on display in the office in his quarters. The security system is state of the art. Tony designed it for him. Phil stood over his shoulder the whole time with Natasha and numerous threats to make sure he didn't put anything funny into the code. The plan seems to have worked. It's weird to look all the cards, posters, pictures, and comics now knowing that the man himself lives two floors up and considers Phil to be a friend. He secretly hopes he never gets used to that idea or takes it for granted.

**Key**

He doesn't lift a finger the day he moves into Stark Tower. It happens seventeen hours after his first meeting back with Director Fury at SHIELD headquarters. He reassures the team that five months after Loki stabbed him, he has recovered enough to lift a box or two, but they all ignore him. It's quite nice, actually, as is the generous offer from Tony to live among them in the first place. Phil knows some days it will give him migraines, but for now it's a good feeling to be surrounded by people who care about him and his well-being.

**Skin**

His Dolce suits are his armor. They cover up his weaknesses and give him an appearance of strength. Underneath he carries damage, just like the rest of the team. There's the empty patches of skin where tattoos once embellished his body, but were removed to make it more challenging to identify his corpse if it fell into the wrong hands. There are physical scars from bullets, stabbings, torture. There are the invisible ones, too: the names and faces of every soldier and agent he's led to death, the pain of his family members mourning him even though he's still alive.


	44. Thor

**Crowd**

As long as there is not a large load of rubble to clear away to look for injured or reopen a street, Thor is usually ordered to be on crowd control detail during the aftermath of battles. His size is intimidating enough to keep curious onlookers back, but his ease and charm also helps civilians deal with having to wait to regain entrance to their homes or places of business. The Asgardian happily smiles for pictures, reassures those who are visibly upset with his regal tone, and genuinely listens to the concerns of the Midgardians he has sworn to protect.

**Frost**

He does venture home to the realm of Asgard since the Bifrost was reconstructed. He enjoys going on hunting raids with the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. In quiet moments huddled around campfire, he thanks them for not only foolishly following him to Jotunheim on the day he was to be king, but for remaining his friend afterwards. He admits to being a fool, and is ever so grateful that they not only came to his side but have remained there ever since. He considers himself to be beyond blessed to be surrounded by such fierce and noble warriors.

**Tonic**

He is not nearly as versed in the ways of magic as his brother, but he can concoct a potion or two, mostly relating to healing illnesses that were incurred on the battlefield. No one has yet to take him up on his offer to try one yet. They're always polite about the offer, but after dealing with Loki and his madness, the Avengers are understandably leery of dealing with Asgardian magic. Thor shrugs, unoffended. There are still plenty of things that mystify him about Midgard, and he, too, is sometimes reluctant to try things that are foreign to him.

**Flea**

He goes on a school visit with Captain Rogers. Thor is glad that he listened to the Son of Coul's advice and left Mjolnir at Stark Tower. He has seen plenty of children before, but never so many in one place. And since there is not a battle around him, he can focus on just how tiny they are. He's almost afraid to shake their outstretched little hands for fear of crushing them. So he follows Steve's lead; a man whose strength is unbelievable but is stored in a tightly controlled body destined for doing what is right and good.

**Map**

He still does not fully grasp the concept of maps. Magnets, which are utterly fascinating to him, don't function on Asgard. There is no north or south. You use the path of the sun to find your way, and with building as tall as New York's, that can be challenging at times. But luckily Thor enjoys getting lost. It also doesn't hurt that he's blessed with the gift of All Speak and can communicate easily with anyone. He'll ride on a subway until he gets bored, wander around on the streets, and then call JARVIS to guide him home.


	45. Clint

**Stomach**

It's impressive how much food Clint Barton can put away given his smaller stature. It's sad how he still feels the need to hide some in his pockets to take back to whatever spot he's deemed safe for the day given how long it's been since he suffered neglect. The others pretend not to notice; most of them have own childhood issues to deal with before trying to help someone else with theirs. So they let him stuff his face, then his pockets, and let him burrow away some leftover nourishment like a squirrel gathering acorns for the coming winter.

**Cork**

He's quiet and passive the first five months they're a team. Not knowing him before, the team assumes this is normal until they notice Natasha shooting him concerned looks. Sure, he still runs his mouth during missions, snarks against whatever agent is put in charge of them for the week, but once Coulson comes back, it's like he's been uncorked. He never stops with the noise unless the mission requires it. Once they all adjust to the change in his volume, and not that people like Tony would ever admit it but, it becomes a nice, ambient sound for them.

**Snake**

He had a pet snake when traveling with the circus. One of the other guys used it as part of his act, but let Clint take care of it when they weren't performing. The snake was deadly. Not the poisonous kind; more the "I'll wait till you're asleep and then squeeze and choke the life out of you" kind of lethal. He used to sleep with it curled up with him in his cot, enjoying the warmth but always afraid it would attack in the middle of the night.

He blames the snake for drawing him to someone like Natasha.

**Rain**

Whenever it rains, Clint thinks of Thor. Not because of the lightning and thunder, but because of the first time the sniper laid eyes and a targeting scope on him in New Mexico. He wasn't kidding with Coulson on the comms; he initially liked this guy a lot. It was pretty easy to do. Until Loki. It took Clint a while to separate Thor from his brother and the God of Mischief's actions and manipulations, but thankfully Thor's a bigger man than Clint (in more ways than one) and was willing to be patient while Barton sorted out his issues.

**Mat**

He situates himself on the mat on the building's roof, triple checks his sights, melds his body with the rifle, and waits. He gets pulled every now and then for special assignments from Director Fury; they all do from time to time. Clint doesn't usually mind except in situations like this. SHIELD needs the hit to be non-descript; translation: using an arrow to take out the warlord would make it pretty obvious who fired the lethal weapon. Clint doesn't doubt he can accomplish the job and make the shot, but he misses the curve and tension of his beloved bow.


	46. Maria

**Match**

Despite the fact that there are days where she wishes she could have someone—anyone—else as a boss, Maria Hill and Nick Fury do make quite the team. She can admit to that on good days. It doesn't mean that she trusts him or does anything he asks of her without questioning it first, even if it's just in her mind. But his big dreams grow tempered with her realism into functional ideas and implementation. He can make the leap that super heroes still exist. She can help keep them in line so they live up to the idea.

**Constitution**

Anyone who can make Phil Coulson appear emotional and expressive is impressive, and Maria certainly falls into that category. There's a betting pool on what it would take to make her laugh. No one has one it yet. She doesn't mean to be so serious all the time, but when you're woman who flew through military ranks before flying through SHIELD ranks, having a bubbly personality tends to be left on the back burner.

She has a file hidden in her office that details all the ways various junior agents have gathered evidence that she is surely an emotionless android.

**Policy**

It doesn't happen often, thankfully, but on days where she cannot simply handle any more, she resorts to bubble baths. It sounds cliché, but it's one of the few feminine things she does for herself. She thought her habit was a secret until she walked into her office one morning to find a bottle of rose-scented bubble bath and a pre-emptive apology note on her desk from Coulson.

She fought the urge to turn her eyes to the ceiling. If he'd found about her ritual from Barton crawling around her air ducts, Coulson was going to have a dead archer.

**Worship**

The faith and beliefs her mother had instilled in her as a child failed on her second day in the warzone in Afghanistan when three of her fellow soldiers were talking to her one minute and laying in pieces all around her the next. These days she considers the shooting range her holy place. It is there where she can find her center; claim some kind of peace within her mind and heart. It is there she exorcises her inner demons and gives over control of her will and self. Bullets are now her way of finding atonement and penance.

**Suspicion**

AD Maria Hill never hides her stance or opinions if she is suspicious of something you did or doubts everything you are. It is utterly unnerving to experience and something you can never quite get used to. That is unless your name is Nick Fury and you simply don't care what she thinks of you. But to everyone else, it is a means of intimidation and motivation, and usually a very successful tactic. Because if you ever do gain her trust or favor, you've accomplished a nearly impossible task and have simultaneously earned yourself an incredibly strong and loyal ally.


	47. Team

**Rageful**

They all had moments when they lost their temper, and it was best just to stay clear when it happened. Barton sunk arrows in everything in sight, Natasha the same but with knives. Thor would pace endlessly and bellow his complaints with such volume that the others would have serious concerns about the health of their hearing. Tony would swear up a storm, lock himself in his workshop and stay there for days dismantling and rebuilding everything he touched. Steve would spend hours on end in the gym breaking punching bag after punching bag. And the Hulk just broke everything.

**Annotinous**

Birthdays are a big deal. It gives Tony an excuse to throw a party for legitimate reasons seven times a year. Stark adds Coulson to the list because it's fun to watch the handler squirm while teasing him with false information about what his birthday bash entails.

One of the reasons the parties are special is because not everyone had them when they were little. If their birthday was acknowledged—Natasha still isn't quite sure what her actual birthdate is—friends and parents couldn't afford much, or just didn't care. Tony feels the need to make up for lost time.

**Irp**

Like the children in adult bodies they are, every now and then when nights are quiet they play Sardines in Stark Tower. JARVIS kills all the lights, someone is chosen to go and hide somewhere, and they all have to go find them individually. Thor absolutely loves when this is chosen for game night. The rounds usually end with all the guys crammed under a table or desk, and Natasha biding her sweet time in the corridors. She's known all along where they are, but doesn't feel like hiding out in a cramped space with five large and/or smelly males.

**Avauntour**

There are days where Coulson is tempted to put replicas of Loki's muzzle on all of their faces. Even he's unable to control the massive egos on the team from time to time. His usual threats of tasering goes unheeded as they fight on the comms over who can take down more bad guys or whether or not someone can make an impossible shot. The handler tries to get Cap on his side, but Rogers shrugs and says it has yet to put them in any kind of danger, so why waste time and effort forbidding something that boosts morale.

**Cohesive**

They didn't solidify into a single unit easily. There are days where Steve wonders if it's actually happened yet or if it ever will. But they get by. So far they've managed to do reasonably well reading each other, anticipating movements and tactics. Thankfully whatever disagreements they may have with each other stay off the battlefields. But once they're safe and sound somewhere else? All hell can break loose and usually does once a week. Steve has to force himself not to step in and order the others to fall into line. He constantly reminds himself that they're not soldiers.


	48. Tony

**Drunken**

Tony's benders grow fewer and far between. It helps having other people around him all the time, not only for the company and camaraderie but also to have others dipping into his various stashes of alcohol. But the drunken nights still creep up on him every now and again. Usually the combination of a close call in battle while Pepper is out of town is what do him in, which is not a good thing. It means waking up with the mother of all hangovers and a worried sick girlfriend speaking over you quickly, loudly, and at a high pitch.

**Beat**

He hates to admit it, but he's getting old. He's certainly feeling old. Granted he is in his forties and has partied, battled, and lived hard enough for five average humans, so he supposes he's due. But it doesn't make things any easier. He cracks jokes at Steve about how he maintains his youthful physique despite being in his nineties, but it's just a thinly veiled attempt to garner information. Tony is half-tempted to help Bruce work on replicating the super soldier serum if it means getting out of bed doesn't take five minutes of moaning and pain every day.

**Disappearing**

His teammates regularly give him crap for wandering off to his workshop and not emerging for at least thirty hours. Tony shrugs it off. He doesn't do it on purpose. He can't control what his brain makes him do; surely there's enough evidence in his life to make that statement true. He can't control the singular focus that comes with being a genius. It's also because of how he was raised. His father would stay at work until a new weapon was finished regardless of how long it took. This behavior is what Tony was raised to believe is normal.

**Forthcoming**

He says it first, those three little yet huge words. The first time it counts anyway—not in bed, not in the aftermath of a battle, not when Pepper has saved his company yet again. She looks surprised. He shrugs. "I do."

"I didn't think you'd say it so soon."

"You know there isn't a filter between my brain and mouth." He doesn't give her the change to return the phrase, moving on to the next topic of conversation. He doesn't want to put pressure on her, and doesn't want to risk the chance of hearing her say something else.

**Sung**

The constant stream of data and equations singing in his brain is a blessing and a curse. It drives him crazy some nights and soothes on others. As fast as he can think, it's still not quick enough to keep up with what his mind is capable of. Those are the times it drives him crazy, when his brain knows something, is trying to communicate and put it into something understandable, but Tony can't keep up. It's frustrating knowing the answer is inside you yet you're still unable to put your hands on it and pull it out to see.


	49. Steve

**Exceed**

No one really knows his upper limits. He finds himself continuously pushing himself in battles to see if he can find the end of his rope at some point, but it has yet to happen. There are few times where he's been able to run faster than that first day, but he feels it's still possible. He just needs to wait for the right motivation. As for energy, he stayed awake for five days straight when roaming Europe with his troops. He could have gone longer but Bucky begged and threatened him to go to his bunk, so he did.

**Corrupt**

Everyone assumes that Captain America could never be turned to evil, and he lets them believe it. Granted, it would take a lot, but he won't ever discount the possibility. It would've been easy to slip into when he woke up from the ice. Why should he still care? Why would it matter? Whenever these thoughts enter his mind he remembers Erskine poking him in the chest, gives his head a quick shake, and grits his teeth. He reminds himself he's a good man, and accepts the challenge that bearing that title is the most difficult thing anyone could do.

**Crunch**

He focuses on the crunch of his boots through the rubble-filled streets. He gives into the sound for a split second in a calm moment mid-battle. The noise takes him back to moving through forests with his Howling Commandos. He can almost smell pine in the air for that brief mental break, hear his men cracking jokes or complaining about rations or revising the never-ending lists of things they were going to do and eat when they eventually made it back home to the States. But he only gives himself the escape for a second because those men are gone.

**Panic**

They can't raise Hawkeye on comms. Coulson is yelling at junior agents to get videos of rooftops in the area; Iron Man and Thor are flying about looking for visuals. Natasha is fighting with him on the ground, holding back AIM goons. He does his best to focus on the attacking yellow-clad enemies, but his serum-enhanced mind is too smart for that. It can easily compartmentalize combat maneuvers while simultaneously generating worry and concern for his missing teammate and remind him that he's fairly helpless right now in getting Barton back. It's times like this that he hates the serum.

**Machine**

His teammates are surprised he's handling this nonsense about fighting evil aliens, crazy mutants, and robots with magic and lasers so calmly. They obviously haven't read his file, at least not closely. Granted he shouldn't be facing these guys and their (still very much in his mind) futuristic weapons, but he definitely shouldn't have had a taste of it already before going into the ice.

So, no, he doesn't freak out during battles when new things come up to fight him because rarely have the men he fought in battles been completely human commanded by others who are completely human.


	50. Bruce

**Mumble**

Bruce is constantly making noise to himself while working. Tony makes fun of him for it, even though Stark does the exact same thing while using, "I was talking to JARVIS," as an excuse.

Sometimes it's repeating data to engrain the numbers into his brain to properly plan the next step of an experiment, sometimes it's humming the melody of whatever symphony he listened to last, but there's usually some soft noise escaping his lips when he's working in his lab. There's a comfort in hearing his voice, his tenor and not The Other's Guy's baritone taking over things.

**Donate**

Six months after moving into the Tower, Doctor Banner trusts himself to handle small crowds on his own. Tony helps him set up a regular guest lecture circuit at nearby colleges. Bruce has missed scholarly interaction more than he realized. He brings Stark along from time to time because watching the engineer have to prove his science cred to theoretical physics post-docs is highly amusing and entertaining to Bruce. And Tony has every right to lose his temper about being seen as someone who only designs and constructs things instead of as the brilliant, albeit mad, scientist that he is.

**Romance**

The team mocks him for it, but he doesn't care that he's the only one who picks chick flicks on occasion for movie night. Clint and Tony throw popcorn at him, but he just picks up the pieces and eats them.

People should be able to have happy, normal relationships, even if they're just fictional characters. It's nice to live vicariously through them for a couple of hours every now and then.

And by watching  _You've Got Mail_  it becomes evident that not everyone has seen  _The Godfather_. So really, Bruce is doing people like Thor and Steve a favor.

**Froze**

He hears her voice call out his name. He's walking back to the Tower from SHIELD headquarters when it happens. He turns and sees Betty standing there with a soft yet hesitant smile.

He doesn't get any closer to her when he asks, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. If you're okay."

He looks down at her shoes. He wants to reach out to her, but the image of her father's angered face appears in his mind and stops him.

She steps forward anyway and reaches out gingerly to take his right hand.

**Allow**

He and Betty become pen-pals. He still loves her, always will love her, but things can't ever end happily for them as a couple, so he opts for just being friends, and there are plenty of days where he's sure he doesn't even deserve to be that after all he's put her through. But he will gladly take what contact with her he can get. The others can always tell which days he gets an email from her. Some feel jealous at not having the chance to have someone who will leave a soft smile on their face all day.


	51. Clint

**Northeasterly**

They're still a new team when they face some horrendous monster. Hawkeye forces his brain to search for soft spots, what few exist, when all it really wants to do is catalog how many different species were crammed into this one lab experiment gone horribly wrong.

"Think you can make the shot? It's pretty windy today," he hears Cap ask in his comm.

The wind is gusting around him, chilly air biting into his exposed arms, but that's never mattered before. He lets a smirk cross his face as he slows his breathing and lines up his shot. "Challenge accepted."

**Eternally**

He could wait forever for the perfect shot, and it certainly seemed like he had from time to time. Hawkeye stayed tucked away in the shadows and watched as Black Widow, in full on cover as a drunk, handsy, and unhappy wife, familiarized herself with the young, handsome, and diabolical Major. Hawkeye bit back remarks regarding the officer's obvious crudeness towards women out of respect for maintaining comm silence.

He waited for the Widow to signal that she'd lifted the passkey off the soldier's body before he loosed the arrow that found its way into their mark's left eye socket.

**Flagrantly**

He can practically hear his teammates' collective eye roll over the comms whenever he notches and releases an arrow—that of course finds its target with lethal accuracy—while Hawkeye's focus is already turned the other direction scouting for his next hit. He smirks and laughs softly to himself as he does it. He also tries to continuously tell his fellow Avengers—and anyone else that will listen—that, "Cool guys don't watch their own explosions." Iron Man seems to agree with him on this, but it doesn't mean Hawkeye still doesn't hear crap about it from the Metal Man.

**Amicably**

It surprises him somewhat how it doesn't take him hardly any time at all to watch Thor's back as closely as he watches everyone else's. He has a habit of being burned, abused, and abandoned by men in his life. A small part of the damaged, emotional side of his brain whispers at him in the midst of fights that it's only a matter of time before Thor shows his true colors and falls to Loki's loyalty and betrays them all. The rest of it is able to tell that increasingly smaller portion to shut up and leave him alone.

**Willfully**

It takes Agent Phil Coulson to be in his ear for Hawkeye to follow orders and mission parameters, but even then it's not always a guaranteed thing. But he does show the handler more respect and trust than anyone else thus far, so SHIELD keeps the two together. The trust is shaken a bit when the marksmen ignores a kill order—an unheard of thing for him—and decides to become a recruiter instead. He yanks the comm out of his ear as Coulson fires questions repeatedly about his actions and reaches a hand out to help the lethal redhead.


	52. Steve

**Ouch**

Steve Rogers supposes he should be grateful for the advancements in automobile construction in the last seventy years, but falling and crashing into a car still hurts regardless of whether the body is made of metal like a tank or the currently more popular plastic of the twenty-first century. It doesn't matter what it's made of, he still leaves a Cap shaped dent in it and usually breaks a window or two. The pain fades away quickly enough for his serum-enhanced body, but the bits of glass that fall out his hair for hours afterwards are annoying to clean up.

**Snap**

His temper catches his teammates off guard. It's vicious and not what they're expecting Captain Goody-Two-Shoes. At first they attribute it to not always being able to cope with the new century, but it still lingers even after he's adjusted to things like cell phones, internet, and cars that park themselves. Most give him space when he can't reign it in, and they've all learned to pick up on the warning signs that he's about to blow. Whenever he's quiet, hands clenched, breathing careful and measured, it's time to point him towards the gym to bust a few punching bags.

**Yap**

There are times where the chatter on the comms grates on his nerves. But as long as the situation isn't dire, he swallows his order for them to quiet down and focus. There is talk about who can take out the most bad guys, where they're going to eat afterwards, confused questions about what combination of bad ideas and animal genetic material created their latest foe. And of course there are jokes at each other expense. The trash talk between Stark and Barton is legendary, and Rogers has to mute his comms every now and then to hide his laughter.

**Ah**

He'll see something or someone and suddenly there is this buzzing infiltrating his brain—a noise that distracts him until he can sit down with his trusty sketchbook and pencils. It may be the way the light hits the Chrysler Building outside his window in the early morning or the lines of Natasha's body when she's just thrown a knife. He has to get it down on paper. Once it's there and complete, it's like his brain, and entire body really, sighs in relief. Once that's done and finished he can go back to focusing on anything and everything else.

**Amen**

He doesn't go to mass as faithfully as he did when he was young. There are some days now that he's out of the ice and back from war that he can't even step foot inside a church. But on quiet days, when he can somewhat make peace with things, he goes. He still hasn't mustered the courage to confess his sins. He knows the violence he partakes in is for good, but it's still a lot of violence. So he stares at the stained glass windows trying to make sense of things before lighting candles for those he's lost.


	53. Tony

**Shatter**

Tony Stark is not the same man after the Battle of New York. He shouldn't be, can't be. Changes tend to happen in people when they almost die, even if it's not for the first time.

His mind can't help but continuously run the numbers that factored into that day: how fast and hard he should've hit the city streets after falling from the sky, the blast radius the nuke would've had if he hadn't sent it into space, how many times he should apologize to Pepper.

The numbers never stop; they run and haunt his mind and thoughts constantly.

**Healing**

The physical injuries, both to his body and his armors, from the Battle of New York are healed within ten days. The bruises and lacerations fade into something that resembles wholeness, but Tony doesn't feel like that. He moves his workshop and the bots back to Malibu while repair crews fix damage to the Tower and prep it for the whole team to move in. Pepper thinks the sunshine will do him some good, but the heat can't evaporate the coldness that seeped into his bones as he flew and fell through some far off, foreign corner of the universe.

**Dreams**

It's his new dream. He never thought he could live in a dreamscape worse than the one where he's armorless, stuck in a cave in the middle of the desert running and hiding from Obie in the Iron Monger suit. He was wrong.

He falls and flips powerless through space. It last for days, years, just floating through emptiness. He begs and prays for anything and anyone listening to let him veer close enough to a celestial body to be caught in its orbit at an angle that lets him burn up in an atmosphere or crash into a surface.

**Nightmares**

The nightmares haunt him almost constantly. He was a horrible sleeper before, now he's even worse. He tries to hide it from Pepper, but she picks up on it. She watches him with such a close eye after he tried to hide the fact that he was dying that nothing escapes her eagle-esque vision when it comes to his health. He's pretty sure she's teamed up with JARVIS, which is terrifying. Together the two of them at least Tony into a bed for a few hours every night. Now Tony worries about how much sleep he's causing her to lose.

**Breathlessness**

He can't breathe. His visor has come off in space. The vacuum is drawing all the oxygen from his lungs. He can't breathe. Yet he's screaming. A scream that makes him go hoarse. He then realizes he isn't tumbling through the cosmos, he's in his bed. Pepper's arms are wrapped around him, her fingers in his hair, her voice telling him over and over again that he's safe.

He wants to close his eyes to hold back tears, but when he does he just sees stars and it causes the panic to rise up in his chest all over again.


	54. Team

**Faith**

None of them feel worthy of the blind faith Captain America has placed in them. He is the epitome of goodness, and he trusts every single one of them with his life without hesitation. He should hesitate. He should realize that, maybe with the exception of Thor and Bruce, motives are not always pure with these people. While it's one thing to joke about corrupting Steve Rogers, it feels like corrupting Captain America would be a crime worthy of the harshest punishment possible.

They do not take his faith lightly. They each strive to become a better person with it.

**Hope**

When it comes down to it, Tony Stark and Nick Fury can agree on one thing—there are superheroes and they can save the world. There isn't much else the two agree on, but they certainly do on this even if they're not always mutually vocal about it. Natasha shakes her head at them both. She bites her tongue to prevent herself from muttering "Fools," but she also has to watch herself. On occasion she'll find herself wanting to abandon her realism and be swept up in the innocence and the idealism that is rooted in Stark and Fury's belief.

**Wrath**

Bruce's anger is a constant. It is something he's learned to accept. Most of the time, it is a mild burn that runs through his body. He uses it to fuel his actions in finding cures for diseases and tending to the medical needs of the poor and overlooked. When it is time to do battle, he gives into the burn and lets it grow and consume him. He's relieved The Other Guy has found a good way to channel the anger. Or maybe he always knew how but was just never given the opportunity or permission to do so.

**Love**

It is the God of Thunder, a noise so overpowering and forceful that at times it can feel like it's going to shatter your bones, that is the kindest of them all. He loves his shield brothers (and sister) with a ferocity akin to the sound he can summon.

This was most apparent when Thor first returned to Midguard after returning his brother to the watch of the All-Father. Clint didn't trust the man. Thor knew he liked him a little, or at least he had in New Mexico, but it didn't stop Thor from protecting the archer in battle.

**Acceptance**

Clint and Natasha are the last two to feel a part of the team; they're also the last members of the team to move into their personalized floors in Stark Tower. Part of the reason for this is the fact that they lack super powers or special armor, but the other part is the two of them have been a team by themselves for so long that it's difficult to adjust to add others. Both are also reluctant to get too close to their teammates. The last time they allowed someone into their lives, Loki stabbed him through the chest.


	55. Steve

**Denial**

He lays in the narrow bed and forces his eyes to remain shut. He wants to get a feel for his surroundings before surrendering the fact that he's awake. The last thing he remembers is sinking into the frigid water, ice crystallizing all around him, and Peggy's name dying on his lips. But now there is sunlight on his face, and while he doesn't necessarily feel warm, the biting chill has left his skin. For now, anyway. His hearing catches on to the man's voice droning from the corner, and he recognizes it as the calls from a baseball game.

**Rejection**

But not just any baseball game. His enhanced memory allows him to easily place it because he was there. He remembers the sequence of actions. His stomach drops and he fights to keep his breathing regular. The young nurse tells him to relax, but his flight instincts kick in and he makes a run for it not caring who or what is in his way. Within moments he finds himself in a crowded city, fancy signs and cars everywhere. No one is dressed correctly. And there are far too many young men walking around for this to still be wartime.

**Emptiness**

Seventy years. He doesn't think his mind will ever comprehend that thought. His whole body goes numb after hearing those words from Fury. The eye-patched man continues to talk, but Steve can't find his focus.

Everyone is gone. Everyone. He never really had any grand plans for his life. Truth be told, once he finally made it to the front lines, he half-expected to give his life like his father had. The other part of him hoped after meeting Peggy…

It was like losing Bucky all over again. He never thought anything could be worse than that. He was wrong.

**Loss**

He sits in his farce of an apartment with its period-perfect furniture and appliances flipping through the dossiers of his soldiers—men who were friends and brothers. He wants to read what they accomplished with their lives after the war, but the only word his eyes can see on the papers is "Deceased".

His hands have developed a new habit of touching bare skin when his thoughts wander. It takes him sometime to realize that they're making sure he's actually not still stuck in the ice. Because even though he is free, he still feels cold, numb, and weighed down.

**Gift**

It's not until he is kneeling beside Stark's still form that he realizes he's wasted his chance. His fingers ghost over the shape and light of the arc reactor as an apology. He was given the opportunity to lead again, and he feels like he's failed. He was given the possibility of forming a family again, and now it's too late.

Tony gasps his way back to consciousness and relief floods through Steve's body. His brain pushes away the pity he's felt for himself the last few weeks and sears a resolve to make the most of what he's been given.


	56. Thor

**Sanity**

Loki's manipulations drive Thor mad. They used to be a nice and hefty advantage back when they were fighting on the same side of things, but now they are a nuisance on the very best of days. Thor is used to Loki's tricks, but feels sorry for his fellow Avengers when they fall prey to his brother's bouts of mischief. Thor knows how to handle and has sadly grown comfortable waiting through the time for magic spells that do things like turn him into a frog wear off. The others have yet to adapt with such troublesome and annoying scenarios.

**War**

He feels an ache in his chest whenever he looks into the mad eyes of a villain they're fighting. Thor easily sees the need and lust for battle; his eyes looked like that in his youth. Not for the first time, he wishes he'd heeded the All-Father's warning sooner. Odin warned him what could happen if he became too obsessed with war. Thankfully he never reached the point these villains had, but if his power and title hadn't been stripped of him, it is entirely possible that he might have ended up battling against the Avengers instead of with them.

**Happiness**

He and Jane are stretched out in their side-by-side foldable lounges. He smiles as he listens to her point out stars and constellations. She tells him stories about how they earned their names and the mythological stories associated with them. He laughs when she turns and asks if he knows any of the gods in question. They usually spend a night or two a week out under the stars like this whenever he can spend time in New Mexico. They take turns describing the cosmos, what they've seen, what they imagine lies outside their knowledge. Thor loves nights like this.

**Serenity**

Thor is ever grateful on the nights when his mind gives him relief from nightmares and gives him joyous dreams instead. In them, his family is whole and reunited. Jane is with him on Asgard, learning all she can about the Bifrost. The way her eyebrows crinkle together when she's digesting information is enough to bring a smile to Thor's face.

Other times he goes hunting with Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, and his brother. The six of them move through the forests with a happiness and ease that has not been shared among them for quite some time now.

**Magical**

When he and Loki were young, Thor was secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) jealous of his brother's gift. Back then Loki's tricks were mostly harmless. He could make sweets appear for them to devour after they were supposed to be in bed. He could change the sound of their instructors' voices, or make them disappear completely. They would laugh and have fun until word reached Odin. They would appear repentant and keep their focus on their feet while their father lectured them, but mostly so they would avoid making eye contact with each other and laughing all over again.


	57. Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 300th drabble! Since it's a big milestone, we're doing a double set today. We're also switching from 3rd person to 1st because I wanted to see what the character's reactions are to being on the Avengers or at least associating with them.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading these.

**Tony**

This is penance. I have not been a stellar example of how a human being should conduct himself; ask Pepper, she has plenty of stories. I'd like to say that I didn't know any better, that I was raised to believe this is how genius billionaires live and think, but deep down I always knew there was more. I've engineered a lot of harm. Yes, most of the time it was used for good, but being known as someone who invents new ways to kill people wears on you. So this is my chance to make amends and protect lives.

**Clint**

This is a job. If I wasn't working with these freaks, I'd still be doing the same thing somewhere else. Maybe Nat, Coulson, and I would still be a trio being stealthy all over the place. I liked those times, but I will admit it's kind of nice to stay based in the same place most days. Stark buys really comfortable furniture. And he makes me specialized arrows, which is cool.

Don't tell Coulson about that.

But yeah, it's not that much different. I'm just happy I don't have to wear a ridiculous uniform. Although a cape could be fun.

**Bruce**

I tell myself this is fleeting, because I haven't had this much good luck in years. I don't want to grow accustomed to this being normal. I don't want to jinx it, because this is the happiest I've been in a while. Still not thrilled with how my life's turned out. I still wish for things I know I'll never have, but if I have to settle, this isn't a bad place to do it. I can do any and all the experiments and research I want. And The Other Guy and I are finally comfortable in each other's skins.

**Natasha**

This isn't what I was trained for. I'm a spy; I'm supposed to stay hidden in the shadows. Nothing about this job is based in the shadows. There's an entire department in SHIELD dedicated to removing amateur footage of our battles from YouTube. I don't like having my face out there. I don't like being seen as a role model for girls (although someone needs to break up the sausage fest) because my life really isn't one that people should aspire to have. Some days I enjoy the new challenges, but I also miss staying hidden out of the way.

**Thor**

This is my duty. The Asgardians have brought enough violence and destruction to Midguard for long enough. I owe it to the inhabitants of Earth to swear my protection for as long as they allow me. You are a young people, innocent of what is lurking beyond your reach in the stars. Not even I am fully aware of what exists in the voids, but I know enough to be wary of what could appear.

The All-Father does not understand why I feel the need to remain among the Midgardians as much as possible, but I cannot leave you vulnerable.

**Steve**

Honestly, I don't have anywhere else to go. I could go back to the Army, but I want to be where I can do the most good, and I think that's here. It was hard coming out of the ice, and these people took me in and helped me through it. They've put their faith in me and I don't want to betray that trust. People need protecting, bullies need to be dealt with, and the team has put me into a position of leadership. I've done this before, and I'm honored to have the chance to do it again.

**Phil**

This is hours upon hours of paperwork. And that's on days where nothing goes wrong. This is not getting a chance to run for an hour to clear my thoughts until 3am at least a few times a week. This is an inevitable diagnosis of chronic ulcers. And I don't want to work anywhere else. The five months where I played dead and traveled Europe were the most boring weeks of my life. Despite what you may think when you see I wear dress shoes all the time, I need action. I just hate the forms that come with it.

**Jane**

This can't actually be. I deny all existence of the events of what has happened in the last year and a half until I've had at least four cups of coffee. Then and only then can my brain start to process the truth that I'm dating an alien prince, attempting to setup regular means of transportation between Earth and a far-off planet using a wormhole, and the fact that there are people actually excited and interested in reading my research. Any one of those three is enough to fry my brain, but all of them together? This isn't real life.

**Pepper**

This is not what I hoped for, but it could be worse. When I helped design Stark Tower, I did not imagine it would become a superhero frat house, but there are worse options. I still should buy stock in several antacid manufacturers since I can keep them in business single-handedly, but at least there are others watching out for Tony. I can't keep a Director of PR for more than three months, but I'd rather have to defend Tony's action of protecting people than deal with the previous endless stream of "Who's he sleeping with today?" line of questioning.

**Fury**

I'm just as shocked as everyone else that this thing actually worked. I need to start buying lottery tickets or get a bookie or something. If I can beat the odds of these idiots and egomaniacs actually coming together and saving our collective asses, then I should try Power Ball. Maybe I'll win enough to buy my own tropical island somewhere. Spend all day on the beach, listen to the ocean, and hire someone to make me drinks with tiny umbrellas in them instead of dealing with the morons that comprise the World Security Council day in and day out.


	58. Coulson

**Family**

Phil Coulson is in a terrible mood. Everyone knows it. Everyone gives him a wide berth, save one.

"Who pissed in your cereal?"

"Drop it, Barton," the handler snaps.

The archer manages to stay quiet for a whole thirty seconds before quietly asking, "Whose birthday?"

Coulson sighs. He knows better to evade this conversation with someone whose personality is as dogged as Clint's. "My father's."

Barton nods. "I understand why you're hiding the fact that you're still alive from them. But if I had a family—a normal one—I wouldn't let anything in the world keep me from them."

**Breathe**

The response slams into him and causes a tightening in his chest. He keeps his head down and forces himself to focus on the paperwork on his desk. Barton, having said his piece, stands and leaves. Coulson eyes his phone for the millionth time. It's been ten months since Loki stabbed him, and five since anyone other than Fury knew he was still alive. He was given the option to inform his family, but decided against it. He knows in his line of work he will one day be killed in action. His parents don't need to bury him twice.

**Run**

He runs an hour a day, and due to meetings, a minor attack, and paperwork, it's one of those times where his run doesn't get to happen until 2am. His feet pound the sidewalk as he draws in cool night air. He knows his thoughts have gotten the better of him when he looks up and realizes just how far uptown he's gone. He pauses for a moment, bent over with his hands on his knees, gives his head a shake in a futile attempt to clear his thoughts, and then turns and begins his run back to the Tower.

**Fear**

He can't do it anymore. He can't lie to those he loves. He needs to see them, to hug them. It's been over a year, before everything that happened with Vanko and New Mexico, since he's seen his relatives face-to-face. His selfishness decides to win out. He needs to see them even if it means it will more than likely bring them pain once more.

He pulls up to the house he grew up in and has to pry his white-knuckled fingers from the steering wheel. He's pretty sure he isn't breathing as he walks up to the front door.

**Will**

He waits for the door to open. It's his mother. The shock is evident on her face and in her hands as she fumbles to open the screen door separating them.

"Is it really you?" she asks quietly.

He nods. "Hi, Mom."

"They said…"

"I was, for a few of minutes. I had to stay away for a while, and when I came back…" he pauses to shrug. "Parents don't need to bury their own children, and they certainly don't need to do it twice."

She meets his eyes with fierce intent. "You let me be the judge of that."


	59. Tony

**Libeler**

Tony throws the magazine down in disgust. He should have Stark Industries' legal team sue the whole publication for libel. It's one of a hundred pieces that paint the team known as the Avengers as bringers of chaos and destruction, instead of what they actually are—saviors of the universe.

Okay, even Tony can admit that statement might be a little much, but it's closer to the truth than the spewing of garbage being printed by these idiots.

He runs motor-oil-covered fingers through his hair as he sighs and tries to regain his focus on upgrading the Mark VI's repulsors.

**Roamer**

He's feeling restless. Not his usual kind where he stalks the halls of Stark Tower trying to answer the never-ending series of questions his brain populates. It's the kind where he feels in the wrong place. Rarely does he feel at home and comfortable outside of his workshop, but he also knows when he's somewhere he shouldn't be.

He tells Pepper the next morning that he wants to go back to Malibu. She's fine with it since she's been commuting between coasts for months.

He doesn't know if it's where he should go, but he needs out of New York.

**Mistreatment**

He should sleep. He knows he should. Pepper has moved past the point of bugging him about it and gone into giving him dirty looks, the silent treatment, and waiting for him to collapse from exhaustion.

It's not that he doesn't want to sleep, he does, but he can't. His nightmares have shifted into a new horror and he can't break free of them. He hates putting his body through this level of exhaustion, especially after all it's had to endure, but he cannot try and get some rest. He knows it will never bring him peace, so why bother.

**Shadiness**

He has some mental sensor detection system for when someone is targeting him. It's not always accurate, but it's been honed in the last couple of years serving as Iron Man. He's had that prickly feeling on the back of his neck for a few days now, but JARVIS hasn't logged any red flags, and his hacks into the SHIELD networks don't give him any information either.

Nevertheless, he does his best to send Pepper away on a business trip, but she won't listen. He's worrying her, so she won't leave his side, and he needs her to be safe.

**Cation**

He's starting to feel unbalanced. Little pieces, small yet crucial, are being stripped from his life and his identity bit by bit. At first it seemed mostly manageable but now it's starting to grow out of control. He needs to regain his balance and repiece himself back together again, but his life is far more complicated than the countless suits of armor he's built, torn apart, and built again. This isn't something that can be done with a screwdriver, and as time passes Tony is starting to wonder to himself—never aloud—whether or not it will ever be possible.


	60. Natasha & Steve

**Wrapper**

He crumbles up his sandwich wrapper and effortlessly throws it into the nearest wastebasket while unsuccessfully trying to keep the pout off of his face.

"I'm sorry," Natasha apologies quietly.

Steve shrugs. "We had five dates, and two of them I had to cut short to go fight someone and I couldn't tell her why I had to go. I deserved to get dumped."

"Did you arrange for the battles to happen to get out of the dates?"

"No."

"Then not your fault. But if you ever need that to happen, give me a call. I can throw something together."

**Studio**

He's sitting in the art studio that Tony included in the blueprints designing Steve's personal floor in Stark Tower when the alert call comes in.

"Time to suit up, Cap," Natasha orders.

"What have we got?"

"The Wrecking Crew apparently got bored and are attempting to knock over the entire financial district."

Steve bites back a curse disparaging the intelligence of today's villains. "Bored means sloppy…" he starts.

"And sloppy is never a good thing when civilians are around," she finishes.

"I'll meet you on the roof in five."

He pushes the All Call button on his comm. "Avengers, assemble."

**Leg**

He's crouching under the safety of his shield to avoid getting pounded by an enchanted crowbar when he first sees her. At first he thinks she's Natasha, but Widow's to his right and behind him from the sounds of her specialized and rapidly-firing pair of handguns.

All he can see are legs. He curses himself for being distracted during an attack. But to be fair, they've always been a weakness for him and this is a great pair of gams.

He regains his senses, pushes up with the shield, and charges against the bully of the day with a growl.

**Plus**

In addition to having great legs, she's valuable in a fight. There are only a handful of SHIELD agents that can keep up with the Avengers, so he makes sure to introduce himself as soon as fighting ends.

She hesitates before taking his hand and introducing herself as Agent 13.

He's about to inquire further when he hears her accent and takes a closer look at her features and coloring. Suddenly it's seventy years ago and Steve is struggling to find his breath.

He looks up and over the agent's shoulder to see Natasha's face looking as remorseful as possible.

**Then**

Natasha finds him on his third punching bag at 2am.

"Coulson thought it would be easier not to say anything. She just got back from a deep-cover op. That's why you haven't seen her before."

His mind remembers Peggy's funeral, and Natasha's right. The face he met today wasn't there, even though Agent Sharon Carter was Peggy's great-niece.

Natasha sighs. "Give me five minutes to change and stretch, and I'll meet you in the ring. You don't need to break any more bags, and you should be able to take out your frustration with a woman one way or another."


	61. Coulson

**Bob**

He finds himself bobbing up and down in the Hudson. Coulson knows Thor was just trying to protect him by knocking him out of the way of Doom's attack, but the Asgardian was a little too excited from the battle and knocked the handler clear into the water. He tries to be thankful that his team is fond enough of him to throw him out of harm's way like that, but his attention is focused more on how his dress shoes are only a week old and he's probably going to have to kick them off before swimming to shore.

**Coal**

Captain Rogers drew the picture with a piece of charcoal when they were stuck on some mission in the middle of nowhere. It's Phil, Clint, and Natasha gathered around a small, round table. Their heads are huddled together as they look over a map to plan their next move. Steve—it's still weird to call him that—shrugged it off saying it was just a little sketch, but it's so much more than that. Coulson has it framed and hanging in his office in his quarters in the Tower. He loves it more than all of his trading cards combined.

**Cast**

The bullet he took to the left forearm requires a cast for four weeks. Coulson isn't sure which is more annoying, being unable to scratch his itchy skin or constantly having to dodge Stark and his Sharpie. Tony could at least have the decency to keep the cap on the writing utensil knowing full well how easily susceptible to permanent marker fumes Thor is. Pepper apologizes and does her best to steer Tony away before Phil can reach inside his suit jacket and pull out his taser. There's a Supernanny marathon on tonight Coulson would like to watch in peace.

**Puzzle**

He finds joy in sliding puzzle pieces around in his mind; takes pride in how good he is at it. One doesn't earn the title of Fury's One Good Eye but not having a good handle on seeing things happening and accurately predicting how things will end. Coulson could teach classes on tactics, and has received the offer to do so many times, but his skills are the variety that can't be taught. They're innate, and not the kind of knowledge that is easily transferrable. So he politely declines and returns to strategizing what exactly the Director is up to.

**Swear**

If Coulson is swearing on open comms, the world must be on the verge of collapsing. Oh, the man can swear like a sailor—or an officer in the Army who has been in a war or two—but he usually has the good graces to keep it off open lines of communication during a fight. He leaves the crude comments to people like Barton or Stark, and on occasion Romanoff. But if Coulson is the one swearing? Odds are his suit has been singed or his shoes have been scuffed, and there will be hell to pay for that.


	62. Clint/Coulson

**Wake**

It's the third night that Clint has traded the couch in Coulson's office for the couch in Coulson's apartment. The pair returned seven hours ago from a short op in Mexico City, debriefed, picked up a very late dinner, and came back to Phil's. Calling him that still feels weird in Clint's brain.

His brain that would rather replay the shots he made on the mission instead of getting some needed rest. Insomnia is a common plague for the archer and tonight is another night where he's losing the battle. He gives up at 5:30am and moves into the kitchen.

**Rummage**

The kitchen is still a little foreign to him, but he can at least maneuver around it easily enough to start a pot of coffee and collect some ingredients for breakfast. He moves the cartons of leftover Thai out of the way to grab some eggs, the soon-to-be expired carton of milk, and a fresh package of bacon. He tries to be quiet when pulling the griddle out of the lower cabinet, but fails and cringes. He can be silent and deadly on the field, but in a kitchen the quieter he tries to be, the louder his efforts become.

**Sustenance**

He hums a melody softly to himself as he gets going. He knows Phil has a thing for pancakes, and who doesn't love bacon. He pulls strips out of the package and settles them on the griddle before moving to the counter to whip up the pancake batter. It's one of the few tricks he remembers from his mother—cook the bacon first, and then use the same pan when making pancakes so they get the added flavor of the leftover bacon grease. He tends to make this meal every year on her birthday as his way of remembering her.

**Rumble**

He hears Phil stumble out of his bedroom fifteen minutes later. Clint wordlessly places a steaming mug of coffee into his hand, and the other man grunts his thanks. Both are incapable of conversation until at least a couple of cups have been consumed, and this morning might require more since between the two of them they've gotten about fourteen hours of sleep in the last three days. Phil sighs as he leans up against the counter and watches Clint plate the last of the pancakes and pull the cooked bacon from where it was keeping warm in the oven.

**Blend**

They consume their food in an easy silence, save for the happy noises they make because really bacon is one of the greatest things ever.

"More babysitting today?" Coulson asks, even though he already knows the answer.

"Yep. More of watching Selvig and the others wave probes at a glowing cube." Barton pauses before continuing with a sigh, "I miss explosions."

Coulson snorts softly in response before clearing the dishes. "Sorry Mexico City wasn't more fulfilling for you."

Clint shrugs. "At least this time I wasn't trying to bleed out when things finished like the last time I was there."


	63. Team

**Overstimulating**

The crazier the fights become, the more relaxed Clint feels. Tony reluctantly admits, if plied with enough alcohol, that if JARVIS didn't filter his HUD with priorities and left him to just take everything in like Clint does, he'd be screwed. Clint thinks it has more to do with Tony being ADHD than it does with JARVIS's prioritization skills or possessing Clint's superior eyesight and ability to track everything happening around him. But Clint isn't going to argue with Stark, especially when it's one of the few times where the billionaire will own up to something Clint is better at.

**Bended**

Natasha hefted a deep sigh, rolled her eyes, and turned to Thor as a response to the villain-of-the-day's demand. "Thank you for not commanding everyone to get on bended knee when you arrived on this planet like all these other idiots."

Thor nodded. "You are quite welcome, Lady Widow," he answered with complete sincerity.

The tentacled alien strode forward and loomed over Natasha as he repeated his command for her, and the rest of those around her, to kneel before him.

"No," she answered and quiet yet strong as steel voice while looking into his what she hoped was eyes.

**Pontificated**

Whenever the Avengers needed a distraction, they called on Tony to initiate a monologue-off with whomever they were fighting. A few refused to be baited into that particular trap, but most ate it up with extreme fervor. Some of these verbose exchanges were legendary; most of them giving the team far more time than needed to setup for a new attack.

Clint tossed around the idea in a debrief once that if they could find a way to safely record these exchanges and declassify them, they could all be filthy rich by turning it into a hit reality television show.

**Unjammed**

As soon as the jamming device was disabled, the comms flooded with four voices at once—three of them (Cap, Iron Man, and Thor) were trying to feed him information; the Hulk was just yelling. Coulson closed his eyes before shouting over all of them to quiet down. Quickly, he questioned each in turn for a speedy sitrep. The first two he called on were Hawkeye and Widow since he's incapable of shaking a feelings of worry when either grows quiet on the comm line, but if asked, it was as a reward for following proper procedures regarding jamming devices.

**Reacquaint**

It was easy for them to fall in together, at least during the times where they were fighting someone else and not each other. They each would go off occasionally for something on their own—solo missions, vacations, business trips, or visiting their home planets—but they always seemed to quickly gel back together when they were reunited. Coulson was always extremely impressed to see it since he didn't believe the ease with which they started out together because of how many disputes he'd had to deal with them off the battlefield and living with each other in Stark Tower.


	64. Natasha

**Trussed**

Natasha was going murder whoever designed her dress for this op. Granted, the A-line skirt made it easier to hide weapons on her thighs, but the corset was ridiculous. Why should she need her total lung capacity while running through corridors and taking out security guards? Obviously such things were optional. And, really, her chest didn't need the help looking voluptuous. It could handle that all on its own.

If one more head of state or ambassador spent the evening talking to her neckline instead of her eyes, she might start knocking people unconscious before Coulson gave her the go-ahead.

**Acuteness**

Nothing gets past her. Clint is at least smart enough to not even bother trying to hide things anymore. She wishes the others would follow his lead, but their attempts to be sneaky is somewhat endearing. Even though she notices everything, she rarely comments on anything. If she spreads gossip, it's usually lies to see how far and fast they will carry. The truth she keeps locked away in her mind for a time to gain some power over a person. Despite no longer being an operative for the KGB, there are some Russian spy habits that will never die.

**Guiltiness**

Even though she and Clint both suck at being good, little psych patients, they're capable of tending to each other's mental health. It usually involves a rooftop and splitting a bottle of something strong and colorless. It's there and only there where they feel safe enough to air the guilt they feel over some of their actions. Some, not all. They are both far too familiar with the fact that that there are evil people in this world who are better off in the ground. But the collateral damage that is incurred when carrying out orders can weigh on them.

**Cuticle**

Even though she only wears a lethal shade of blood red when out in public, Natasha possesses a veritable rainbow of nail polishes. Painting little designs is her way of relaxing without weapons. Of course, there are the unfortunate times where someone decides to cause trouble before she can switch her nails back to their usual appearance, like the time she decided to paint flags of various countries on her fingertips. Once things were over, Clint looked at her hands and laughed. She gave him a good look at Germany's flag before swaying off to give Coulson her debrief statement.

**Wail**

She's helping Clint evacuate a bus when she hears the noise. The high-pitched sob slices through her and drags her focus to where a small girl stands alone. She looks to Clint and he tells her to go. Natasha looks around for the child's missing parent, but doesn't see one. She kneels in front of the small girl and asks her where her mommy is. Instead of answering the child lunges at Natasha and wraps her tiny arms around the woman's neck. Natasha picks her up and whispers meaningless Russian words of comfort as she moves her off somewhere safer.


	65. Pepper

**Ginger**

She used to hate the color of her hair and her ubiquitous freckles. They made her stand out and look different, because being taller than everyone else in your class between grades five and seven wasn't hard enough.

But now she embraces the hair color and height (the freckles are still covered with makeup most days). Yes, they make her different, but she now sees it as an advantage—a means to command authority. Especially when dealing with so-called journalists, stuffy board members, or genius boyfriends who cannot figure out how to keep their mouths shut to save their life.

**Strategy**

Just when she thinks she could publish a book titled How to Handle Anthony Edward Stark, he always invents some new action or word vomit that forces her to either modify an existing chapter or have to write an entire new one. Some days she approaches the challenge with vigor and determination. Other days she wants to approach the challenger with a pillow and smother him to death. But she wouldn't change her life. The three months he was missing were the worst in her life. As frustrating as he can be, she doesn't want to imagine life without him.

**Decay**

Her index finger traces over the outer rim of the arc reactor embedded in Tony's chest while he is asleep. She hopes and prays to whomever or whatever will listen that the element he managed to force into existence will keep his heart protected without slowly killing him like his previous attempt. She's still furious he hid that information from her. She places a light kiss on the fading lines on his neck, grateful he doesn't stir awake when she does. She settles her head on his shoulder, places her hand over his heart, and finally gives in to sleep.

**Republic**

She keeps several versions of world maps running in her head at all times. One marks where she has to travel within the next six months. Another has gaps in it marking cities or even whole countries where Tony is no longer exactly welcome. Yet a third marks possible areas of concern she's picked up from the SHIELD reports she most definitely didn't read over Tony's shoulder let alone the information he certainly does not just tell her anyway. That is the map that gives her the most anxiety and forces her to be well-stocked in antacids and headache medication.

**Angle**

Pepper doesn't have too many friends. Since she started working for Tony, people usually wanted to get to know her in order to get to know him, and she was not okay with that. Before this whole superhero thing started, it was mostly just Rhodey, then Phil. And after the whole Battle of New York nightmare, she's kind of happy everyone moved into the Tower. She can be herself around these people and know that if they want to spend time with her, it's to get to know her better and not leverage something against her, Tony, or Stark Industries.


	66. Steve

**Tony**

Tony hadn't met anyone who could so clearly and quickly see through his curtain of ego and crap while drawing out the good that tended to hide inside as Steve did since Yensin. It thrilled and terrified Stark. He was ecstatic that he didn't have to expend the energy to throw up a front around the other man, that he didn't have to waste time putting on a show because it would be futile. But it was terrifying because Tony vividly remembered what happened to his assistant in the Afghani caves. He refused to let that happen to Steve Rogers.

**Natasha**

She sees Steve Rogers as a bear. The animal holds a place of high respect in her homeland; much like Rogers does in her life. They're strong and powerful beasts whose urge to protect those under its care is legendary. There's also the bit where they spend a significant part of their life in hibernation, but Natasha usually ignores that part. Just like she tends to ignore the fact that Steve has a small crush on her. The thought is tempting, as are his abs, but she can't bring herself to defile a national icon. At least not this one.

**Bruce**

Bruce Banner should hate Steve Rogers, or at the very least, hate the serum embedded in the other man's body. If the Super Soldier experiment hadn't have worked, even that one time in a basement in Brooklyn, Banner would probably have been researching something else that fateful day in the lab. But that's not how life worked out. And if anyone can recognize the fact that you can't control fate, it's Bruce. So he doesn't bother wasting time and energy directing hatred at Rogers. Mostly because he knows Steve never asked for this particular path to be his life either.

**Clint**

Clint spends most of the time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Barton can easily admit that he is a bitter and jaded man. But, seriously, in spite all of that, no man can be that _good_. He's heard stories for years from Phil about Rogers, but was positive they were merely legend. And then he met the man and started to realize that even some of the stories of heroism didn't measure up to the actual person. Clint is beyond thrilled the first time he sees Steve lose his vicious temper. It's a relief to know he's human.

**Thor**

Thor is ever so grateful that there is at least one Midgardian on the team, save for the Hulk, which he does not have to worry about breaking. The demigod can do battle with the Man of Metal, but never with Tony Stark. Thor is honored to have found a shield brother in Steven Rogers. The two will spar for hours, teaching and training the other in maneuvers and sharing grand tales of battles they have fought and won. They drink in honor of those who have fallen, because the list of those names between the two men is long.


	67. Bruce

**Tony**

He wasn't kidding when he sighed in relief about having a fellow English speaker. It was relaxing to have someone around who could challenge his intellect, follow the rambling paths his brain could walk, someone to check his math.

It was also a relief to have someone to empathize with on the matter of having something foreign forever lodged in your body. There was a pleasing and proud sense of responsibility that came with mentoring and talking Bruce through making peace with that. If they had to deal with their lots in life, at least they could help each other.

**Natasha**

She has every right to be terrified of him, but she's never let her fear get the better of her for long, and she certainly isn't going to start now. When the others are buzzing around her with too much energy, she slips into his lab. They don't talk unless she starts the conversation. He just continues with his work and she basks in the silence or whatever concerto Bruce has JARVIS playing for calming, white noise. They joke at how she goes to him and his peaceful presence after pulling a gun on him the first time the met.

**Steve**

Steve really doesn't know what to think about Bruce. He knows he's good man; a man who was dealt an unfortunate hand, and Steve does feel a little bit guilty about that even though it was Doctor Erskine who developed the super soldier serum, not Steve.

He does his best not to let others' words or reports sway his opinion of Bruce. He knows too well what it's like to be seen as something you actually aren't, or at least be seen as something that does not entirely define you. And Steve absolutely refuses to treat others in that way.

**Clint**

Clint was cool with the Hulk. Well, okay, he was cool with the appearance of the Hulk in that initial battle. Barton had seen videos of what went down in Harlem and was grateful to have some muscle on their team. What he wasn't prepared for was watching the giant beast shrink down into the quiet scientist. He hadn't been prepared for Bruce's quiet yet stinging sense of humor. He wasn't ready to see Bruce, the man. It took some time to stop seeing the potential threat that could unleash at any second and get to know a new friend.

**Thor**

Thor's extremely grateful for Doctor Banner's knowledge and patience. Thor can explain the mythos behind the Bifrost, but he lacks a proper understanding of the Midgardian science involved. Bruce takes time from his experiments to help tutor the Asgardian on what Jane's research means so Thor can discuss her brilliant work with her. Thor tells Bruce that if he finds a lady interested in the ways of battle, he would be more than happy to return the favor and teach Bruce knowledge in order to woo a magnificent companion. Bruce tries to keep a straight face while sincerely thanking Thor.


	68. Natasha

**Tony**

Tony is terrified of her. It was why he was so attracted to her when the first met while she was pretending to be someone from legal. Stark is a sucker for woman who scare the bejeezus out of him; hence, his relationship with Pepper.

And now that he's actually gotten to know Natasha, as much as she will let him, he's terrified all the more of her. He knows she finds that hysterical, but she is one of the few people on the planet he tries desperately not to piss off for fear and safety of his own life.

**Bruce**

She's the calming presence on the team. He thinks she feels the same about him. That's why she'll come tuck herself away in his lab on days that aren't going so well, and why he'll raid her the cabinets in her personal kitchen (obviously only with her explicit permission) for whatever mix of tea leaves she's experimenting with that week. They can both sit in silence and be fine with that, unlike most people on the team. It takes a while for him to feel like he's earned her friendship; it's a common personality flaw he suffers from these days.

**Steve**

He is jealous of her strength, her ability to tackle anything thrown at her without so much of a bat of those long eyelashes. He loves that she doesn't cut him slack, that she's never looked at him with pity.

On occasion, they will both do battle with insomnia on the same night. They'll talk for hours about anything except what their lives have become: art, places they've seen in Europe, best place to get various ethnic foods in the city, whatever else comes to mind. He savors these moments where she lets it be easy to be around her.

**Clint**

She is his best friend. She makes him better on ops and during battles for the simple reason of he's has to keep up with her and her craziness. He knows deep in his bones that if something were to ever happen to her, it will only be because he's been taken out.

Thoughts like that would've terrified him a decade ago. He swore he'd never let anyone get close enough to even begin thinking things like that. But there you have it. She ninja-ed her way into his heart and he'll do anything he can to keep her there.

**Thor**

Thor is most grateful to have her around. He highly values the wisdom and truth the Lady Sif speaks to him when he is on Asgard. He was fearful he would not find such direct counsel from anyone on Midgard; but he has in her, and she is fine warrior to have at your side during battle, too. For that, she holds a place of honor in his heart. It is she he turns to when life here is troubling him. He knows he can count her to give them words he needs, not just what he wants to hear.


	69. Clint

**Tony**

Tony and Clint either get along too well or not at all. There usually isn't any middle ground between them. They're fine during battles; Clint is good at pointing out weaknesses and calling shots to Tony without getting haughty about seeing things Tony can't. When they butt heads off the battlefield, it's usually because neither of them can shut up and they're vying with each other to see who can come up with the snarkiest quip. They quickly find themselves without an audience to judge them because no one else can stand to be around them when they're like that.

**Bruce**

Bruce Banner has a healthy respect for Clint Barton and what the other man has been able to overcome. Once the men on the team finally get around to opening up about their pasts and discussing their emotions—which takes a solid six months at least, a hefty amount of booze shared between them, and still doesn't involve Natasha at that point—the two men find they share a few similar pieces when it comes to their childhoods. They don't really ever talk about it, just nod at the other whenever something happens that causes bitter memories to flare up.

**Steve**

Steve can sees some of his own traits in Clint, usually the ones that kept Rogers from surrendering to bullies three times his size back in Brooklyn alleys before he was recruited into the Army. He sees a kid who is used to having to defend himself and goes into a fight willing to give everything he has in order to keep those around him safe. It's what made it so easy for trust Steve when things first got started. In recognizing those qualities, he knew that Clint would have his back even when he'd just returned from being brainwashed.

**Natasha**

Natasha thinks he's an idiot. Clint is like one of those huge, shaggy dogs; he does nothing but eat, snore, and beg anyone and everyone for affection. So naturally she owes someone as ridiculous as Clint Barton her continued existence—life has a twisted and wicked sense of humor like that. But if she has to have a loyal companion trotting along her side, then she supposes he's a suitable choice. As long as she's not the one responsible for making sure he's had all of his shots.

At least he hasn't tried to hump her leg in a while.

**Thor**

Thor appreciates having someone to hang out with. Together the two will try new places to eat that the others deem too roach-infested to be trifled with. Clint is usually up for trips out to museums or touristy places; however, Thor has learned to verify any information Clint tells him with at least three others to make sure he isn't, what's the Midgardian phrase—pulling his leg.

The two men shouldn't be friends. They meet with one taking aim at the other and met again when one's brother brainwashed the other, but they don't let that affect them these days.


	70. Team

**Parades**

They all donned hats and scarves and waded through the crowds to sit and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade go by. Tony complained the entire time: he had to wear off-the-rack clothes to blend in, he wasn't allowed to use any technological hand-held devices, and after everything the Avengers Initiative had done for the city of New York in the past year the only superhero to earn a spot in the show of balloons was Spider-Man.

Pepper distracted him by pulling his cell phone out of her coat pocket and letting him take out his aggression with Angry Birds.

**Food**

The meal was familiar to Steve, although he and his mother never experienced something as abundant as this. There were multiple turkeys to accommodate feeding himself and Thor, as well as everyone else; the buffet table was overrun with rolls, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese (Clint's demand). And that didn't begin to cover dessert. Steve was certain every kind of pie in existence was waiting on them.

He wasn't sure which he felt guiltier about: all the extravagance when kids were hungry or the knowledge of how big of a dent he could put into all of this food.

**Football**

After gorging themselves, they crashed on the couches and watched whichever football game JARVIS picked for them in their collective tryptophan-induced haze. Everyone except Thor, who was still eating and shouting at the screen with cheers encouraging victory for both sides.

"You know, you're really only supposed to root for one team," Bruce pointed out.

Thor looked at him with offense on his face. "Neither team has ever slighted me or anyone I know. Why would I wish one of them defeat?"

The corner of Natasha's mouth kicked up a fraction into a smile. "This is why you're everyone's favorite."

**TV**

Once the games were over, JARVIS began showing the  _Arrested Development_  marathon that was airing. Bruce, Tony, and Clint let out happy sighs as they settled in to watch. Natasha shook her head and focused on sharpening the knives she'd laid out. Steve honestly gave the show a shot, but after the second episode ended he leaned over to Coulson, who was sitting next to him, and asked, "Why are they laughing so hard? I don't get it."

Coulson shrugged, "It's an acquired taste. Don't overthink this show too hard."

Steve tried, but some seventy year gaps can't be crossed.

**Family**

Occasionally they all fall asleep on whatever couch they're on and stay there till morning. Tonight was one of those nights.

If asked, Natasha would complain about being the sole female. Men smelled, snored, and with the exception of Steve, treated her like she a guy. Granted, that was nice sometimes, but there were some days she didn't want to be lumped in with the sausage fest.

This wasn't one of them. She'd rather break her own fingers than admit that these—with their large, warm bodies surrounding her and letting her feel safe—were some of her favorite nights.


	71. Tony

**Steve**

At first, all Steve can see is Howard. It's obvious to see the genius yet arrogant traits passed from father to son, but the more he gets to know Tony, the more he is able to see him as his own man. One who certainly shares many characteristics with his father, while also enduring being raised by the man.

Whatever happened to Tony in Afghanistan, and Steve isn't going to push him to talk about that unless he wants to, transformed the younger Stark from a clone of Howard into one who longs to better others instead of only himself.

**Thor**

Thor is accustomed to his arrogance. He's seen it in many warriors he has led into battle; usually the level of haughtiness the Man of Metal can display is typically reserved for those who internally feel they do not measure up to their peers. But Tony does, even if he doesn't realize it. Maybe not always physically, but certainly when you add in intelligence and heart.

They spar when Stark wears the suit. Thor takes pride in hearing the smaller man grumble about having to beat the dents out of his armor for the next few days after their matches.

**Clint**

Clint is glad that Tony has days where he acts like a dick, or else he would feel really guilty about living rent-free in a skyscraper and eating food out of the guy's fridge all of the time.

While they can both get on each other's nerves from time to time (because neither of them are great at knowing when to shut up), they get along marginally well. They spend hours talking about weapons while Clint introduces him to the beautiful world of microbrews, because the only person who could ever get Clint to drink a martini is James Bond.

**Natasha**

Terrifying Stark never gets old. She doesn't do it all the time, just when he starts to act comfortable around her. She has a cold-hearted, Soviet-born reputation to maintain after all.

She thinks about Malibu and first meeting him. As soon as she was free, she'd called Coulson to give him an earful about how idiotic it was for her to be assigned to babysitting billionaires. He let her rant, said "Welcome to the club", and hung up. Little did she know that she'd be able to think about Tony with something akin to fondness. Not often, but it's happened.

**Bruce**

Bruce is thankful to have the chance to do research again and receive credit for the work he does. Banner never did his work nor tested his hypothesis for ego, but it is nice to have your name published in respected journals. He believed that high honor was lost on him, but Tony kept that from happening. While business people may see him as a bit of a loose cannon, the scientific world admires his genius greatly, and Bruce includes himself in their school of thought. He knows he's smart, but Tony's mind works like nothing he's ever seen before.


	72. Thor

**Steve**

Steve really didn't think much about Thor being an alien when they first met. There was enough confusion when the team formed that he didn't really have the extra synapses to think about the giant being from another planet. The only title Steve's brain will comfortably apply is Prince. He tries not to roll his eyes whenever Thor is referenced as a god. Steve's seen too many people take a title and power like that too seriously, much to the detriment of everyone around them. Not that Thor would do such a thing, but Steve doesn't want to encourage it.

**Tony**

Tony knows it's just a matter of time until Thor one day sneezes and blows down his tower. If his beloved skyscraper won't suffer death by sneezing, then it will certainly be something like Thor flopping down on a couch (how those haven't snapped in half yet is a miracle of engineering) and it falling through floor after floor like in a cartoon, or all those times he gets antsy and starts pacing and tossing Mjonir back in forth in his massive hands. Tony's pretty sure his already outrageously high insurance premiums won't cover those particular acts of a god.

**Clint**

Clint never really expected to become buddies with anyone on the team, let alone a Norse legend, but that's what happened. The two of them will go do touristy things, eat their weight at Indian buffets, and go to various sporting events. Clint is the one who got Thor interested in boxing matches. Thankfully they only watch; Barton doesn't want to have to explain to Coulson how some poor schmuck got their jaw broken in half because Thor wanted to go a few rounds in the ring. He's pretty sure it would result in a month-long recon mission to Siberia.

**Natasha**

It takes Natasha a couple of months to get used to being around someone who is as straightforward as Thor is all of the time. She has never met anyone in her life who is so constantly open and truthful. She was raised by people whose native tongue is secrecy; she operates in a world with more shadows than light.

Sometimes she asks him questions about events and people just for the honesty. She already knows what happened or has her own opinions firmly established, but there is an amusement and entertainment factor in hearing unfettered words from someone else.

**Bruce**

Other than Tony, Thor is the one who helps him make the most peace about The Other Guy living inside of him. Thor has just as much respect for The Hulk as he does Bruce Banner. Bruce is a little put off by this at first until he hears stories from Thor of how The Other Guy took down a vicious foe or gingerly (as much as he could) saved another teammate from mortal danger. It is through Thor's tales that he sees how much The Other Guy has changed and how he wants to fit in with the team as badly as Bruce does.


	73. Natasha

**Companion**

The few times she ends up unconscious in medical, her vitals are most stable when Clint is in the room with her, talking to her and holding her hand. There's recorded data of how her blood pressure and pulse lowers when he comes into the room. They never talk about it, but there are some hypothesis. Some say his presence calms her. But Phil knows that she can't relax until, even in her unconscious state, she's certain that he's alright. He's made too many promises about her only getting hurt because he's in worse shape for her not to worry.

**Height**

Despite the fierce, independent attitude she possesses, there are still plenty of times where she gets mocked for being the shortest one around. Steve tries to be helpful and reaches for things on high shelves, even though she didn't ask. Thor sees her try to cover up her pout, laughs, and pats on top of the head. If he wasn't her favorite, as well as everyone else's, she'd probably lash out with a vicious kick, but it's just Thor. Tony and Clint are both equally grateful that there is a member of the team that is shorter than they are.

**Camera**

She sneaks pictures of her teammates all the time (she was raised to be a spy, after all). And if she doesn't have a camera handy, she requests that JARVIS should send her shots from the feed all the security cameras record. She tucks them away for various reasons: she liked the sight of one of them laughing, she wants to study how Steve throws a punch, or she needs blackmail material. She has the last in spades, but one can never have too many embarrassing photos kept on hand. And the men she lives with keep her well-stocked.

**Coat**

She is really not one for shopping of any sort, let alone for clothes. She will tag along with Pepper on a shopping spree every now and then when she needs a break from all the testosterone she is constantly surrounded by. But one clothing item she is an absolute sucker for is coats. She usually doesn't need to wear them in the winter—bio-enhancements and being raised in freezing Mother Russia make most winters she encounters seem mild, but coats have pockets. Lots of pockets. And their bulk makes it easier to hide objects and weapons on her torso.

**Gray**

Her bedroom is painted gray, the particular shade which is perfectly balanced between blinding white and nothingness black. She finds the color soothing; Clint says her color choice has autobiographical tendencies. She is pretty sure if that were true, the color would be darker, but she doesn't argue. It's here in her monotonous bedroom that is free of bright colors where she can relax and find rest. The walls distract her from everything else so she can curl up with her nose in a book, or actually fall asleep without too much tossing and turning. On some nights at least.


	74. AU Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me on Tumblr, you know that for the last 24 hours, my brain has become obsessed with an AU that was started by a request put to the-wordbutler. This particular AU has everyone working at an elementary school. I hijacked the plot bunny because I'm a teacher and my brain thought it would be fun to put everyone who hadn't been already been assigned a backstory a certain position. the-wordbutler got this thing started, and I've added in some details. She suggested I write it, but I need her for plot. Step one in this thing was getting some backstories on paper. If you read my Tumblr, you may have already read some of these.
> 
> If AUs aren't your thing, that's cool. 98% of the time they're not my thing either. This is a one-day deviation for my drabbles. This will only be continued in an actual separate story, never again written here. But hey-it's a double set, so that's cool right? (And it doesn't even cover everyone, like Pepper, who is awesome.) And the next set will be a double set, too, because it will bring us to 400(?!) drabbles. That probably won't go up until Monday.

**Steve**

Steve teaches art. His room smells like wax, paste, and wet clay, and he loves it. Every spring he has an art project devoted to baseball. His reputation is that of a gentle giant. Unless you get near the paper cutter, then he yells.

He has a soft spot for the sick kids. Battling leukemia as a kid will do that to you. But he beat it, and has been in remission for two decades now. Art is what got him through, and now it's his job with a staff he considers to be family. Life has turned out okay.

**Tony**

Tony is in charge of the computer lab and general IT services for the school, as well as being the webmaster. Tony loves Halloween, because the staff is allowed to wear costumes, which means it's the one day of the year he gets to wear what he always wants to wear: a hazmat suit. Because AU Tony still hates being handed things, and elementary students hand you things all the time—drawing they made, flowers they picked at recess, dirty tissues. There's a taped off corner of his untidy desk that is the designated spot to leave him such things.

**Clint**

Clint teaches in fifth grade. He's sent the troublemakers because he was that kid growing up. For three months in fourth grade, he had the greatest teacher: Miss Reese. She was simply sunshine. She overlooked his dirty, ill-fitting clothes, bad attitude, and cumulative folder already thick with disciplinary notes and transcripts from four different schools. She didn't treat him differently because he was a troublemaker or a low reader; she treated him like a human being. He tries to be her in his classroom. If he can be half the teacher she was his career will have been a success.

**Natasha**

The kids love and fear Natasha. Because Natasha with a whistle constantly hanging around her neck? Terrifying. But when they do the gymnastics unit, if the kids are really well behaved, she might do a little tumbling pass from her old gymnast days for them. Or at least that's the bribe she'll hold over their heads.

Natasha hates when the gang gets a chain of emails chock full of gossip going because she's standing in the middle of the gym with kids all day and not spending any time whatsoever in her closet of an office where her computer is.

**Bruce**

Bruce, without fail, flops down into a plastic seat in the teacher's lounge at least once a month and tiredly laments the fact that all he did that day was tie shoelaces and wipe snotty noses. But despite dealing with bodily fluids (which there are plenty of), he loves and cherishes each of his kindergarteners. Bruce is thrilled with his students when they have their letters facing the correct directions. He has all the inflatable letter people and sings all their songs (albeit somewhat off-key, but who cares when you are the only adult in a room full of five-year-olds).

**Phil**

When Phil inherited the library from the previous staff member, all the books were ordered by grade and the students never deviated from that. Most of the time, it still holds true, but Phil knows which of the kids need to be pushed to look into more challenging reading levels. He absolutely loves the excited, round-eyed looks first graders will give him when he tells them that they're allowed to browse the chapter books (still the small ones, but it's still a huge deal). He's read every single book in that library and knows exactly what to recommend to kids.

**Carol**

Carol Danvers served four years in the Air Force before earning her degree in special education. She went in to that particular field because she has a cousin with special needs, and she helped take care of him when they were young. She has the patience of a saint, which not only comes in handy with her students that she pulls from class, but also with some of the staff members. She never makes answer easy or obvious; you still have to put in the work. But she will be the best ally you could ever have in a corner.

**Bucky**

This is Bucky's first year at this elementary school. He transferred in from another school in the district because he couldn't stand working there anymore. The staff was too cliquish and did not get along well with each other. The principal was just coasting till he could retire with the largest pension possible and didn't really care too much about his staff or students.

He heard there was an opening from his old college buddy, Natasha (the ROTC and student athlete dorms were next to each other), at her school. He was able to transfer into a second grade classroom.

**Darcy**

Darcy mans the front office. She will make copies of your worksheets if you're in a bind, but there better be Starbucks on her desk the next morning as a thank you. Whenever a kid comes in late to school with a frazzled parent, she always double checks to see if they've had breakfast before sending them on. She gets to call the staff whenever there is a delay or snow day. Those are the best phone calls for many reasons. Several of the staff members have them saved in their voicemail to play when they're having a bad day.

**Thor & Jane**

Thor comes in on career day to talk about his Odinson Construction company (Mjolnir is of course the company logo). He has two sons in school now (one in Bucky's class and one in Bruce's). His and Jane's daughter will be in Kindergarten next year, and she sounds like a holy terror already to survive living with all those boys. Thor runs the PTA, and packs his kids' lunches every day. He always manages to sneak in candy under Jane's nose. The kids always take field trips to the planetarium that Jane helps direct and where she does her research.


	75. Team

**Natasha**

She doesn't get to go as often as she used to with the Initiative in full swing, but when she does go, she feels calmer than normal for three days after she leaves. Sometimes the instruction is one-on-one, other times she is part of a class. She doesn't really mind either way. Few things ease her mind as grabbing hold of the bar and breathing through the various positions her muscles memorized years ago. She takes pride in the blisters and callouses left by the wooden toed shoes that let her dance  _en pointe_. It's just her and her movements.

**Clint**

For six years, Clint has been the one to organize an elite Fantasy Football league within SHIELD. This is the first year that the Avengers will be participating. There is careful planning for draft days and a lot of betting (which Fury ignores since he's part of the pool, too) that takes place. He has to keep careful track of the points this year to make sure Tony isn't hacking the system to improve his record. And Clint fumes for a week whenever Natasha beats him since her choices are based solely on team mascots just to piss him off.

**Bruce**

Bruce collects vintage science textbooks. If there are handwritten notes in the margin, all the better. It's something he used to do before the accident that gave him his dual personality. He had to leave his old collection behind when he went on the run. He doesn't know what happened to his books, and doesn't want to ask around. If Tony catches wind, he'll spend a hefty part of some budget trying to get them back. Bruce doesn't think himself worthy of such treatment and besides, the hunt for the vintage texts is where a lot of the fun lies.

**Thor**

It is unclear who exactly introduced Thor to scrapbooking, but they have unleashed a beast. Natasha donates pictures to him that she's taken and he sets forth on a crafting binge that can last an entire day. It takes twice as long to clean up the mess he makes. He sometimes goes a little overboard with all the different decorations one can place on a page. His scrapbooks have some issues closing entirely. And you can always know when he's been up to his craft; he usually ends up with a finger or three glued together—no one knows how.

**Tony**

It started at a young age, somewhere around three, with a misinterpretation of the word "engineer". At four he had a train collection that filled an entire room of the mansion. He tries to remember the times that his father would play with him as being just that instead of Howard using it as a teaching moment to drill physics and electrical knowledge into his young brain.

When his parents died, he sold off the collection that had been in boxes for years, but he still as a gets a wistful look on his face whenever he sees a train.

**Steve**

His hobby is Coulson's fault really, with all that talk about near mint condition trading cards. Steve's collection isn't focused on Captain America; he doesn't have Tony's ego. No, Steve collects old baseball cards, except to him they don't really seem all that old. He doesn't get to spend too much time on it, but it is his dream to someday have a complete collection of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. The old and somewhat faded baseball cards are one of the few things from his time before the ice that he is okay having around and set in plain sight.

**Phil**

Everyone knows about the collection of Captain America trading cards, but only a few know about the whittling. He doesn't do it often; usually just on missions where they have to camp out—voluntarily or involuntarily—for an evening or two to pass the time. Like many of his hobbies, Phil picked it up from his dad when just the two of them went on camping trips when Phil was young. Natasha mocks him for dulling his knife on something so inane, but he ignores her and goes back to pulling something out of the wood that wasn't there before.

**Pepper**

When your life—both in a professional and romantic sense—is deeply entangled with one Anthony Edward Stark, spa days are a legitimate hobby. Tony was the one who got her addicted to the luxury in the first place. He paid for a massage as an apology for skipping a board meeting she'd been arranging for weeks to go test new missile guidance technology. From there on out, she has since measured his penance to her in the denomination of facials and body treatments. There in the sanctuary of the spa, she can re-center herself to deal with Tony again.

**Maria**

Her mother's side of the family is Italian, and her mom, aunts, and grandmother taught her how to cook. Maria's favorite things to eat include stews that have to simmer and sauces that take hours to reduce into perfection. They are not only the tastes of home, but if she is eating them on her own, it means she's had the time to cook them properly. Time to herself is not something she gets a lot of these days, so on the rare occurrence that it happens, she spends it in the kitchen eating familiar foods and tasting delicious goodness.

**Fury**

His hobby is made of vinyl. In whatever super-secret lair he keeps as a place to go home to, there is a formidable collection of jazz records. They type of jazz and the volume it's played at depends on how dark his mood is in that moment. Somehow the chaos in the music aligns itself with the chaos in his life, and they seem to balance each other into some semblance of peace. He'll sit in his favorite chair and let the rhythms and notes wash over him until the near constant headache that comes with his job fades away.


	76. Team

**Pedestrian**

Tony is jealous that the rest of the team could throw on non-descript clothes and walk around the city without being recognized. Well, maybe not Thor because he's massive and has the flowing, golden locks in the wind and all that, but still.

Tony has old clothes he could wear; he practically lives in them when on machining binges in the workshop, but he doesn't know how to act normal. Spending your whole life ducking photographers and reporters causes you to have a body language that is defiant even when unprovoked. The constant pair of designer sunglasses doesn't help either.

**Bubble**

Coulson isn't quite sure who he is trying to protect from whom by putting the occasional press ban in effect for the Avengers Initiative. Cable news networks are used to Stark running his mouth; it could be a weekly segment at least. But they are probably not accustomed to pissing off assassins and demi-gods, so for their own sake he tries to keep the lethal superheroes away from interviews unless their tightly controlled and scripted. That leaves a lot of press on Rogers' shoulders, which he is used to from his bond selling days, but even he has his limits.

**Energy**

Natasha is not sure which is more exhausting: taking on forty ninjas courtesy of the Hand single-handedly with one arm immobilized or doing a public appearance. Who is she kidding—public appearance. It takes far more effort to remain still and appear happy and pleased to be somewhere than it does to fight with all of your being. Her face hurts from the fake smiling.

Granted not every appearance is awful, she does enjoy the ones where they're out to do some actual service to help others and loves them even more when there are only a few cameras present.

**Chosen**

There are days where Clint isn't sure why he is part of the team. Maybe for the occasional precise shot, but Natasha could handle those. He doesn't pack the heft the other male members (and Natasha, too) can deliver. Coulson told him they needed someone human on the team so the public can associate with them. But all Clint hears in that sentence is the sentiment of "average". And really, like he's a role model. He keeps waiting for the press to get their hands on his permanent record and his jaded and broken past to show to the world.

**Rest**

On occasion, exhaustion will overcome them and they all end up spending the night in a massive tangle of limbs on the couches in the common room, nodding off to whatever movie JARVIS picks. It is simultaneously calming and annoying. It can be pleasant for the simple fact of body heat surrounding you, and not at all restful between Thor and Clint's snoring. Tony tells them by doing this they are officially three steps away from having a giant orgy. He is promptly pummeled by pillows. "Guys, you really think starting a pillow fight is going to help your argument?"


	77. Tony

**Server**

Not only did the entire team of the Initiative move into Stark Tower, but each individual was given a private server on the mainframe. Not for them to use, mind you; this was where Tony dictated notes to JARVIS here and there about each of them. Ways to amplify Natasha's Widow's Bite, a new bow design for Clint, armor for The Other Guy (although it terrified Tony to think of what kind of enemy they would face if it was needed), upgrades to Cap's bike, and a Quinjet that could withstand the impact of Thor habitually landing on its wings.

**Count**

"Alright, test seven of the Mark Five thrusters, five percent capacity, on my mark: three, two, one, go." Tony glided into the air and hovered a few meters above the floor, stabilizing himself with his gauntlets. He looked around to get as much of a visual as he could with his own eyes.

This was where he felt most calm. Fixing things, making improvements, the bots circling around him chattering to each other in binary and JARVIS's constant eye on him to make sure things went smoothly. Well, as smoothly as things can go when your name is Tony Stark.

**Charge**

JARVIS enjoyed the peace that came with everyone needing to re-charge. The bots were plugged into their docks to charge their batteries for the next binge of experimentation and machining Sir went on. And Sir himself had finally given into his often denied human need sleep. JARVIS estimated that he would remain in slumber for 9.04 hours based on his caffeine intake and the fact that he had been awake for 3.51 days before succumbing to sleep.

JARVIS knew there was a possibility Sir would be awoken with nightmares and, as always, had Miss Potts's cell on standby if needed.

**Stack**

When days are slow (which is never) or really bad (because he's messed up in the head that way), Tony goes through the endless crates of his father's old prototypes and film reels. JARVIS has already digitized all the films, but there's something weirdly comforting about hearing the projector clack its way through the film. As for the prototypes, he usually ends up tossing most of those wherever they land around the workshop as he looks for the one thing he wants. The bots race around seeing who can collect the most junk to hide away. Tony basically built hoarders.

**Lunch**

"No, Dummy. What is that? Is that supposed to be a smoothie? Are smoothies supposed to emit steam? No. No they are not. It smells like rotting flesh. Is it leaking out of the bottom? Did it eat through the glass? How many times have I told you to leave the concentrated acids alone? That glass is made of reinforced polymer. And it's dissolving. What would that've done to my stomach?"

"Nothing copious amounts of coffee and alcohol haven't done already, Sir."

"On the list of things I do not need right now, JARVIS, your sass is near the top."


	78. Team

**Coincidence**

Thor is an alien who began visiting the planet months ago, and only initially came because of banishment from his father. Rogers is a man who should've died decades ago from a weak immune system or decades ago as a war casualty. Romanoff is a person who, without scientific tampering, would be an eighty-something-year-old woman in age and form. Banner nearly heeded the pleas of his lab's co-workers and almost didn't experiment on himself. Stark, without Obie's mismanaged assassination plot, would either be dead or still a weapons designer and nothing more. Clint should be sitting in an Iowa prison.

**Vision**

_I used to be good at this_ , Phil thinks as he runs a hand over his tired face. He's spent the last fourteen hours re-reading reports, watching recordings of previous incidents, and talking to contacts. He's been looking for a pattern, a clue, a crumb—anything to try and figure out what the latest villain who has decided to challenge peace will do next. Things were easier when the people he tried to predict only operated on this planet and were human beings. He briefly considers taking a xenobiology course somewhere before rising to refill his coffee mug once more.

**Sweating**

Images in Norse lore showed Thor in battle in all his God of Thunder glory: hair blowing in the wind, muscles rippling, Mjolnir reflecting light and summoning energy. All of this is an accurate representation, but the artists always forgot one thing—how much Thor sweats.

Natasha finds it disconcerting. She's been around mostly men all her life, so it's nothing uncommon, but Thor is the sweatiest person she has ever met. She wonders if it's a defense technique; if his skin is too slick, no attacking enemy could get a good grip on him to use to their advantage.

**Cat**

Natasha reminds Steve of a gray-furred alley cat who used to live two blocks from his building in Brooklyn growing up. Natasha moves with constant grace, and often with her nose a little upturned. But don't be fooled by the softness she may physically portray, because odds are she's just drawing you in so it you'll be that much closer when she decides to attack and lash out with her claws. Steve learned that lesson the hard way—with the cat that is, not necessarily with Natasha. He thinks the feline was preparation in working and living with Miss Romanoff.

**Sun**

Clint appreciates his new residence over the Helicarrier for many reasons, but one of them is he can sit outside when he's at Stark Tower; not necessarily something one can do when you're thousands of feet in the air, but it's not like he didn't try once or twice. Sure he does it to clear his head and get a good look at things, but there is also something mind-numbing and reinvigorating about letting the sun's rays soak into your skin. Natasha told him once that he acted like he was part plant, but he couldn't find himself to care.


	79. Team

**Flu**

They were all extremely grateful, especially Tony, that Stark had time to raise his visor before the vomiting started, because otherwise—nope, no one wanted to deal with the alternative. They batted around hypothesis in the lull after the fight about pulling too many g's while flying around the battle or eating something he should not have until JARVIS reported that Sir had overrode the security protocols and gone into battle while ill with the flu. Rogers and Coulson were immediately angered. Clint and Natasha took an involuntary step back in hopes that Stark would keep his germs to himself.

**Cold**

Natasha wanted to murder Clint whenever he was sick. The man was absolutely pathetic. He whined all the time about anything and everything he possibly could. She tried her best to leave him under Coulson's care, since he seemed to be a tad more sympathetic and patient, but the handler had meetings to attend. So here she sat on the couch, not even trying to be discreet about the distance between them or keeping her nose and mouth covered.

She wondered how much trouble she'd be in if she spiked his hot tea with the contents of a tranq dart.

**Sore Throat**

It was Coulson's worse nightmare: he'd lost his voice. He'd coughed himself hoarse during the night and woke up to find his voice completely gone. He hoped against hope that there wouldn't be any villains looking to play today because he would be useless on comms. He sent a quick email to Jasper to let him know he was on-call in case something blew up, and then went to work on his reports after rearranging all his meetings. After spending an entire day getting the stuff he wanted accomplished, Phil reasoned he may need to lose his voice more often.

**Cough**

Cap drew in a deep breath to try and regain his bearings, but even the super soldier serum in his body couldn't prevent the harsh cough that wracked his chest. In an instant, he was stuck inside a small and ill body again, praying that this wouldn't spark an asthma attack. It took him a second to realize that he wouldn't suffer from that ever again, and the reason from the coughing was because the room he was in was on fire from an explosion and the air was heavy with smoke, ash, and dirt. Time to make an escape.

**Fever**

No one knew Asgardians could get sick until Thor shlumped into the kitchen where everyone was gathered for breakfast, and more importantly coffee, and declared that he felt much warmer than usual. Pepper walked over to him and put her hand on his forehead. His face visibly relaxed at the coolness of her touch, but she reasoned that she couldn't be sure whether or not he was sick since she wasn't familiar with the baseline for Asgardian temperatures. Turns out, the alien race can be thwarted by fevers, but only when contracted by an immune system weakened by mischievous brothers.


	80. Team

**Instruction**

Waiting for orders is one of the more tedious parts of the job, but Clint is used to it. He is constantly updating his calculations on wind speed and direction, distance, and trajectory all while keeping eyes on the target. He waits still and silently for Coulson's voice to come into his ear. This handler seems to be the only one who can understand that Barton can crack jokes while maintaining perfect aim; everyone else thinks one sacrifices the other. But thankfully Coulson seems pretty laid back at letting Clint say what he wants whenever he wants on the comms.

**Arrival**

One can always tell when Jane is about to visit New York because Thor gets all in a tizzy. It's the one time he cares about the cleanliness of their living space in Stark Tower. At first he didn't make a big deal until Pepper pointed out that Jane would probably appreciate visiting a place that doesn't have food stains everywhere. Thor countered that he wanted to make her feel at home and comfortable while on her visit, and her trailer and lab were usually pretty untidy. Pepper told him that was sweet, but he should really get to cleaning.

**Trifle**

Tony can do nice things every now and then. Little things really, making small adjustments to something. But the thing is, he won't let you forget about it. You have to bring him coffee, because he adjusted the amp output in your Widow's Bite last week (not that you asked him to do that in the first place).

But the big things? He never makes mention of those. He never makes you feel beholden by the fact that you're living in a custom designed floor of a skyscraper totally for free because that's what friends do for each other. Whatever.

**Rub**

While Bruce does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to cooking, Clint does join in on the action every now and again. When he does, it's usually his super-secret dry rub recipe. He claims to have learned it while undercover on an op in the south years ago. No one is allowed in the kitchen while he's at work, which means they all pester him incessantly until the meat is finally prepared and ready to eat. Thor offers every time to take him to Asgard to instruct the royal chefs on how to prepare such a fine delicacy.

**Alert**

Assemble alerts in the middle of the night are the absolute worst, especially if it happens during one of the few evenings of the week where you aren't battling insomnia, like they all have a tendency to do. Most of them dress in the dark on these occasions. It's only been a problem a couple of times for the men. Natasha manages to always look put together any time. They all agree that if Tony had to dress himself, he'd go into battle with his armor on backwards or with his boots on the wrong feet more often than not.


	81. Team

**Aging**

It takes Tony a little bit longer each morning to get out of bed. The process also seems to be getting louder each day. He shuffles into the bathroom and gives his face a hard look in the mirror. Wrinkles are edging his eyes and probably lining his mouth if the goatee wasn't there. He'd certainly look worse if he stopped getting his hair dyed black to hide the god forsaken gray. But for as hard of a life as he's lived at times, he looks far better than he deserves, even with the arc reactor embedded in his chest.

**Illusion**

Her youthful appearance is a mere trick. Natasha is nearly the same age as Steve, but thanks to some mad scientists, her body will possibly never show it. External she looks no more than thirty, but she feels the years inside and in her mind. She feels her years in the scars she's accumulated; granted they're smaller than they should be, but the marks still tell stories of years and years of being used as an asset. And her mind keeps tedious files of names and faces of enemies and allies who are dead because of her and her actions.

**Dread**

His looks haven't changed in years. Granted a good portion of that time was spent in ice, but even excluding those seventy years, enough time should have passed for him to look at least a little bit different, just a little bit older. His hairline should have shifted slightly; lines should start to make their marks on his face. But there's nothing. He notices the changes in the other men, even with Thor, but nothing changes with him. It terrifies him to think that he's going to watch another generation of friends pass while still in the same youthful body.

**Intensive**

Each time Clint lands himself in Intensive Care after an op or battle, it takes him a little bit longer to recover than it did the time before. He knows this and tries desperately to ignore it. He pushes through the recovery in an attempt not to show weakness, but that just causes him to get knocked on his ass even harder by something insignificant a few days after he's declared himself to be fine. It's more annoying than anything else. Phil and Natasha constantly remind him not to push himself so hard, but he's too stubborn to give in.

**Coping**

The All-Father's warnings ring in his ears whenever he returns to the small, blue planet and steps foot back on Midgardian soil. Thor is an immortal god, and this a planet full of fragile and short-lived creatures. He has already seen eons come and go; he has seen civilizations form, rise, thrive, and be conquered; and he is still young. He does his best not to think about how much time he will live on after his shield brothers and sister on the Avengers and his beloved Lady Jane have gone and passed to claim their honored place in Valhalla.


	82. Team

**Shed**

It's a habit Natasha developed years ago and has faithfully maintained. Finish an op or fight, get checked out by medical, do your initial debrief, and then go back to your quarters. Once there she removes the plethora of weapons from her person, double checks their condition, puts them away, and then peels off her uniform on the way to her shower. She'll pick up the trail of clothes she leaves later because for now she needs to get the water as hot as she can stand it and scald the dirt, grime, and blood from her skin and hair.

**Coordination**

They have heard a few stories about Barton growing up in the circus, but it doesn't really click for them until they all just stand back and watch the man go to work. He's nearly as graceful as Natasha, which in and of itself is saying a lot, as he maneuvers through the obstacle course on the training floor Tony built into the Tower. He flips and swings through jumps and rolls. He scurries across ledges like they're a mile wide. And all while doing this, he looses arrow after arrow, and every single one of them hits dead center.

**Master**

There are days when Phil hates his job. The endless meetings, the never ending paperwork, Stark has blown something up again, and of course some bad guys decide to attack just when he was finally going to get to eat something today. It's exhausting, boring, and potentially lethal all at once. But even on the days he wants to walk away or even on the days he actually hands a resignation letter to Fury (who proceeds to set it on fire and ignore the whole exchange), Phil knows there isn't any other job in the world he would rather have.

**Peanut**

Tony's old big bag of weed theory holds some purchase in that Bruce is constantly munching on something, but that has nothing to do with smoking anything and everything to do with not eating regular meals. Most of what Bruce consumes is whatever is sitting out in a bowl that he grabs a handful of as he passes. His lab assistants try and make sure that it's some healthy trail mix or something just so he can at least get a little bit of protein in his system by means of consuming peanuts and cashews one handful at a time.

**Severity**

Tony always knows how much trouble he's in with Pepper based on the volume of her voice. Easy banter means the world is sunshine and rainbows, but that can turn on a dime depending on what falls out of his mouth, what he's done in the last twenty-four hours, or if he's been mean to Steve sometime that week. He knows he's okay as long as she talking to him, even yelling is still somewhat on the safe side. But when she goes quiet? When she does nothing but silently stare at him? He starts a Louboutin shoe order immediately.


	83. Pepper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided a while back that I would stop once I reached 500. Since we're getting close, I wanted to do a set featuring each individual but wasn't sure how to go about doing it until this morning. I'm going to put each character's sets into a word counter, and whatever the top five (uncommon) words that were used to write about are, that is what their final individual themes will be. There will also be wordles (word art) on my tumblr if you want to see that.
> 
> To kick us off, we're going to give a final look at Pepper Potts.

**Tony**

She may not always like him, but she always loves Tony. Pepper can't pinpoint when that started. Maybe it was the time where he punched a photographer for calling her one of "Stark's sluts" when she first started being his assistant. Or maybe it was the time when he looked her in the eye and said he trusted her. It took a lot for Tony to say those words, and it took even more effort considering he was in the middle of rebuilding an engine. Whenever it was, she knows the feeling is mutual—they will always love each other.

**Day**

Her favorite part of the day is the when it is over—she's survived another round of successfully running a company. She gets to take off her ridiculously gorgeous and expensive heels, peel off the designer dress, soak in the oversized garden tub Tony installed for her, and relax. That is until Tony inevitably barges in asking about where he left a schematic or what they should eat for dinner (or breakfast depending on how off his work/sleep schedule is at the moment). She shoos him away and begs for five more minutes of peace, and usually she gets it.

**One**

Tony has never again brought her strawberries nor let anything even strawberry-related come near her after that one time he brought her some to the office. Maybe it was the fact his guilt was compounded with hiding the truth that he was dying from her, but whatever it was she doesn't particularly care too much. She doesn't even mind that it takes JARVIS to remind him of things like her one allergy or her one birthday or any of their various anniversaries. As long as it gets the job done and Tony isn't breaking any laws, it works for her.

**Pepper**

It was her father who gave her the nickname years and years ago when she was a child. Her mother shortened her first name of Virginia to Ginny, but it was her father who called her Pepper. His reasoning behind the nickname was because she spiced up his life, which is bound to happen when you have three sons half-raised before your one daughter comes into the world. The name of Pepper stuck, much to her mother's displeasure, but not like Missus Potts had much of a choice since her husband and daughter were mutually wrapped around each other's finger.

**Know**

It's the rough housing (physical and verbal) she received from her three older brothers that taught her how to handle Tony Stark. From that first encounter where she boldly pointed out a flaw he made when making a calculation about the company's financials, she treated him just like she would her big brothers. She had a point to make and she knew she was right, and she was not going to let anyone stand in her way of making things perfect. She's since learned to let the whole perfection thing go when Tony is involved, for the most part anyway.


	84. Maria

**Days**

It's the lack of sleep that's her least favorite part of the job. Well, and maybe having to deal with Stark every now and then.

She feels like she's in a long-distance relationship with her bed most of the time, and she hates it. Maria gave up the notion long ago of getting seven hours a sleep at night. That may have happened in high school, but then came ROTC and the military and SHIELD. She's lucky to get more than four hours of rest on a given day. Luckily, a good portion of SHIELD's budget is devoted to coffee.

**One**

When Fury hired her, she swore she would only do the job for a year. The pay was amazing, and since she'd just finished with the military, she wasn't ready for civilian life. So she signed on with the secretive SHIELD program swearing up and down to herself that it wouldn't last longer than twelve months.

She made that promise seven years ago. Every year Maria tells Fury that she'll only be there for one more year, and he nods and acts like he's fine with that, but they both know her words—at least in this case—are lies.

**Make**

She will acknowledge that she is young to hold the position that she does in SHIELD of serving as the right hand to Nick Fury. She will tolerate listening to those complaints. Maria will not put up with you saying she is not as qualified because she is a woman. Her gender does not impede her from plotting tactical operations, firing a gun, issuing orders, nor managing a super-secret division of spies. Not only can she do all of that, but she can do it better than you, and she does not have time to hear your crap about it.

**Maria**

It was her mother who named her. Her father was set on having two sons—Peter and David. He got his wish. Since he was out of names, her father let her mother pick the names for the two daughters they had afterwards. Her mother chose Maria and then settled on the name Isabella two years later.

Maria was named after her great-grandmother. Her mother swears she knew before her first daughter was born that the child was going to be just as stubborn as she remembered her grandmother being, and so far Maria has lived up to her namesake.

**Mean**

SHIELD Assistant Director Hill has a reputation to maintain. It helps that she doesn't really know how to be or act soft around other people except maybe her mother and sometimes her younger sister; older brothers and a stint in the military prevent you from acting that way. But it works in her favor. She and Coulson continuously issue each other challenges on how best to scare junior agents and how many they can terrify in one day. Phil gives her a good run for her money, but she is entirely capable of holding her own in their little contests.


	85. Loki

**Loki**

He wonders from time to time what his name means. His father—his true father—is not someone he can go ask. He knows the lie Odin told him growing up. Some tale about air that Loki refuses to think about anymore. He doesn't give it any more thought because then he'll wonder just how little truth is present in his life.

It is another reason he is jealous of Thor; one of many reasons. His false brother had a purpose that set before him at birth. If Loki ever did, it is now lost and never to be recovered.

**Things**

His possessions never really mattered much. Not the ones that were given to him. Maybe his armor, but nothing more. Possessions that belong to others? That is another thing altogether. Every child takes satisfaction in robbing their sibling of their prized toy, but Loki never grew out of that phase. He eyes Mjolnir when he thinks no one—especially Thor—is looking. He's read the rune a thousand times over, has memorized its call to one who is worthy. One day he will be found so and heft his brother's greatest possession. He wonders what happens when mischief controls thunder.

**Power**

Power is his addiction. He can never satisfy the need that sings in his blood. Sitting on the throne of Odin emblazoned the call that sang softly to him into a beckoning that would not give him rest. He craves it, thirsts for it. And he would do anything to attain it. That thought frightens people like Thor, but to Loki it is the definition of his existence. What is there to fear from who you were born to be and destined to become? He, too, was born a prince and he is more than ready to be a king.

**Turn**

He has his moments of doubt. Moments where he slips back into the weak mind of his youth. Back into the thoughts of a beloved brother and son. But then the truth was revealed and his lineage was finally brought to light. And when he remembers the pain stemming from that, he can no longer believe that he can turn back to his brother and reunite with his family in peace again. Too much has changed, too much has been lost. This used to sadden him, but then he drifted through a void and lost the battle with the Chitauri.

**Midgard**

He does not hold the planet with as high regard as Thor does. To Loki, it is another place he can conquer, another potential populace to kneel before him. And if accomplishing that brings his brother some pain, then Loki will accept that, but that is not his primary reason for focusing attack after attack on the famous Midgard.

Midgard, with it puny and fragile human race. A species so weak should not cause as much trouble for him as they have a habit of doing. He should have conquered them all by now. He won't stop until he does.


	86. Coulson

**Phil Coulson**

No one threatening and dangerous is ever named Phil. Strangers see him as someone who pushes paper and nothing more. They quickly find themselves sorely misled. Their incorrect assumptions are soon replaced with shock and anger at having been played like a cheap fiddle by a pale man who somehow managed to disable everything and everyone around him without breaking a sweat or wrinkling his perfectly tailored Dolce and Gabbana suit. Pulling that off never ceases to be fun for Phil. Not that he revels in the joy until he's sure his people are safe and the situation's in hand.

**Clint Barton**

When Barton was first assigned to him, he received a number of sarcastic well wishes and sincere apologies for the hell his life had just become. Sure there are days where Clint drives him up and completely over the wall with his antics, but Phil wouldn't want to have it any other way. He'd rather not have to put up with Clint snoring on the couch in his office while he's trying to deal with his paperwork, but the fact that Clint trusts him enough to be so vulnerable around him like that is too great a compliment to ignore.

**Going**

Leaving was the hardest thing he's ever done, but he knew it was necessary. Without his supposed death, they wouldn't bond as quickly as SHIELD and the world needed them to. He hates himself a little bit—and some days a lot—for the looks Natasha and Clint direct his way when they think he isn't looking after he first returns. And he's surprised that they're not the only two who were upset at his absence. He tries not to think about how important that makes him to super heroes because attempting to process that fact makes his head swim.

**Knows**

Trying to outthink Phil Coulson is a futile way to spend your time. The man is too skilled and prepared not to come up with a counter to every possible contingency that could happen. He took his time in the Boy Scouts and the army seriously, and they in turn made him the master of preparation that he is. Not only is he ready for whatever you could throw his way, he knows what move you'll make before you do. He'll force you into the corner of his choice with breadcrumbs and manipulation and finish you off on his terms.

**Back**

It will never cease to humble him, the thought that these super men and women watch his back as mindfully as he watches theirs. They are not just his co-workers and assets; they are his friends. He would walk through fire for any and all of them without hesitation, and his heart swells with amazement that any one of them would do the same for him. He can be as bad as Clint when it comes to accepting that kind of love from others. Because unlike Clint—not that Barton would agree with this statement—Phil is not a superhero.


	87. Thor

**Thor**

His name is one that demands power, much like the thunder he can summon. It is a name that has struck fear in the heart of enemies and hope in the hearts of mortals. His name has been used as a threat to encroaching enemies and as a prayer of the meek seeking for their life to get better in some—any—way.

He hears all the requests he can and rushes to the aide of those he can help, which is never as many as he would like. Despite being immortal, there is never enough time for such things.

**Time**

The older he gets, and he easily has over a thousand years on him by now, the faster time moves. So Thor does his best not to take a single thing for granted. He cherishes every sweet moment he can have with Jane because compared to the span of his life, she will be but just a small bit. Odin doesn't understand why Thor wants to spend so much time on Midgard, but Thor is all too aware of how quickly his time with his beloved will pass and wants to spend as many days as possible at her side.

**Loki**

His heart will forever ache at the thought of his brother. With each day, it becomes abundantly more clear that the boy he was raised with is long gone and never to be found again. Thor believes life would be much easier of Loki had truly died. As excruciating as it was to go through the funeral rites and mourning period on Asgard for him, it is nothing compared to Loki being forever lost as his brother, even when the two are standing side by side. From now on there will be a hole in Thor's chest at the loss.

**How**

The Midgardians puzzle him greatly with their beloved technology. He knows from his conversations with Tony on the matter that they feel the same way about his association and familiarity with magic.

Despite how many times Tony or Bruce tried to explain it to him, he does not understand how images or messages are carried invisibly through the air. But he does not let it bother him. He just hopes that their reliance upon this technology will be the eventual undoing on Midgard. He's seen it happen to civilizations before, and will again, and doesn't want it to happen here.

**Thing**

When he was first given Mjolnir, Thor only saw a weapon. He didn't heed the words of Odin regarding how it can also build. He learned his lesson, and ever since has done his best to balance to the two aspects of the hammer. It's not something solely crafted to take down enemies; it's something to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It's to be used to make civilizations better, not just to bring end to evil ones. Thor burns this notion into his mind because he doesn't want to be found unworthy again of wielding the might of Mjolnir.


	88. Bruce

**Bruce**

It is an unassuming name for man who used to be unassuming as well. Even when she was little, his mother always wanted a boy named Bruce, and since Banner was her first—and only—son, he was the one who ended up with the name. It was nice being the only one growing up called that. Easier than being one of three Tommy's in the class. But now he wishes he had a more common name. He thinks it would be easier to lose himself in a crowd if he was called something more familiar like John or David.

**Go**

He never thought he would be a professional at having to constantly be on the run. He loved the quaint college town he worked in. He loved Betty. He could see them raising a family in the idyllic place and remaining there forever, but not anymore. Now he only memorizes street names long enough to get a feel for exit routes out of cities. He refuses to carry anything that won't fit in his backpack, which is a computer, a series of fake IDs, as much cash as he can get his hands on, and a couple sets of clothing.

**Know**

It isn't until he's around Tony Stark for a significant time that Bruce realizes just how much scientific theory he knows and utilizes, as well as how much information and knowledge is still out there to be assimilated. Bruce marvels at the technology at his fingertips and almost feels giddy at how much research he can accomplish during his stay at Stark Tower. He didn't think he'd ever get to be a scientist again, and he's going to use his time to his full advantage. He can make good while he is here and add knowledge to the scientific community.

**Thing**

On the best of days, it is a dull pressure in the back of his head. On the worst of them, he is the aching presence in the skull longing to take control again from The Other Guy. It takes years for the two beings to find a balance with and within each other, but they are successful. Surprise transformations into the Hulk are rare these days, but they'll still occur. They can also happen disadvantageously during a fight when things are believed to be over, but aren't, and Bruce takes a hit in his weaker form leaving him unconscious.

**Around**

It is hard for him to open himself up to relationships and friendships. He thinks of Betty and the hurt in her eyes when he had to leave. He doesn't want to be the one who causes that kind of pain to someone else ever again, so he spends the first few months in the Tower hiding away in his lab. But slowly, he begins to open himself up. They all have flaws and they have broken relationships littering their pasts. And yes, feelings will be hurt and friendships possibly broken, but Bruce realizes it is worth taking that risk.


	89. Natasha

**Natasha**

She became Natasha Romanoff when she joined SHIELD. Natalia Romanova sounded too Russian. That wasn't her original name either. She doesn't remember her birth name, and doubts she'll ever hear it again. She assumes a different alias a couple times a month, and for those few days or weeks that is her identity.

But there is always the Black Widow, a call sign and identifier that she feels most comfortable with. But even that identity is not wholly hers. There are number of other women, the select few chosen for the Red Room, who live by that name and title.

**Clint**

Clint Barton is the closest thing to a brother that she will ever have, and he is definitely her best friend. Granted that makes things a tiny bit complicated seeing as how they spent six months with each other when they became a team sleeping, but after all the two of them have gone through, it's nearly impossible not to have a relationship that isn't screwed up.

They can read each other's movements and expressions. That have a secret language between them with several dialects they've developed over the years and missions and boredom that not even Coulson can decipher.

**Look**

She can change her appearance in a matter of seconds. She doesn't just use clothes, wigs, or makeup. She uses different postures and her movements. She can disappear into a crowd and never be found again. It's how she knew that she should join SHIELD. She knew she was within someone's sights, but she no longer cared. She wanted things to be over. Natasha had grown tired of her life being how it was. She was fine with it ending, but decided switching to join the other team would be an even better decision since it would keep her alive.

**Time**

She doesn't look her age, and Natasha is certain she never has. Maybe when she was a child, but even though she then had an appearance matched her birthdate, her actions were always far more mature than they should've been for such a young person. She's been taking lives and manipulating men for years and received such training when most girls are learning how to use variables in algebra. SHIELD psychologists pity her and her history, but she doesn't know anything different. Her life is her definition of normal, and good or bad, she has come to peace about it.

**Steve**

Steve Rogers is an abnormality in her life. Throughout her career as the Black Widow, she's predominately had male handlers and leaders. But rarely are they as kind and respectful to her as Captain America. Yes, Coulson falls into that category, too, but Natasha has never met a man who truly embodies the idea of good as much as Steve Rogers. She knows he has a puppy dog crush on her, and it would be easy to give into that and let him treat her like no one else has, but he deserves better than the darkness that is Natasha.


	90. Clint

**Clint**

He only lets the people he trusts call him by his first name, so there aren't that many who do it. It's Barton to everyone else, and he certainly avoids bringing up his middle name of Francis at all costs, especially if Stark is in the room.

Jerk.

And since he only lets a few people call him by his first name, there's a little thrill that runs through his body every time he hears it. Unlike during his childhood, now it's said with respect, joy, and love. And those are three things Clint usually has trouble associating with himself.

**Coulson**

Clint loves to raise Coulson's heart rate. He loves the challenge of flapping the unflappable handler. Even though it used to require things like falling off buildings or going AWOL, it was worth the bruises to lord over Coulson the fact that there was the slightest change in the tone of his voice over comms or that his tie became slightly crooked when the handler rescued him personally. Now the two of them are at a place in their relationship where Clint can raise Phil's heart rate in a slightly less painful way that makes Clint even smugger than before.

**Time**

Clint can wait for days for the perfect shot. He never misses any shot he takes, and there is a reason for that. He will stand there, bow drawn or rifle loaded with the scope to his eye, for as long as needed until the wind, the target, and the environment play into his calloused hands. But off of a mission? Clint can be one of the most impatient people around. He's constantly on the move due to boredom. He inhales his meals; although, that one probably has more to do with a malnourished childhood than any sense of patience.

**Get**

Clint greets most days with a smile—that is after he's consumed a pot of coffee and as long as his body is free of any major bandages or casts. He can fully acknowledge that his life shouldn't have turned out as well as it has. He has no business being in his dream job. He should still be in the circus at best, or sitting in a prison cell somewhere in Iowa if his adult life had gone the way it should have based on his teenage years. Thus, Clint Barton absolutely refuses to take his days for granted.

**One**

They're in a toy store buying presents for needy kids when he strolls down the Avengers aisle. There, hanging from a hook, is his very own action figure. It's not that particular sight that makes Clint's head swim, it's the fact that hanging next to his plastic miniature is one Captain America. It takes everything in him not to rearrange the setup.

Some days Clint can admit that his skills are somewhat decent enough to earn him a place in the Initiative, but he will never be a good enough man to comfortably stand side by side with Captain America.


	91. Steve

**Steve**

It is a common name for a man who has never been common. Even before the Project Rebirth, Steve was different. Sure there were the obvious small stature and the constant health issues that plagued him, but there were other things, too: his stubbornness, his inability to admit defeat under any circumstances, his manners. Steven Rogers has never been a common man, and never will be. As cheesy as it sounds, he was always destined for greatness. He himself will never admit such a thing to anyone, but he will own up to being a man destined to do good.

**Time**

The longer he is in what everyone around him calls the present, the less he feels like The Man Out of Time and more he feels himself becoming The Man Between Times. He was, when he first came out of the ice, originally worried just a little bit that this time period would become normal to him, and the one he came from would be the alien one, but quickly realized to only marginal relief that such a thing could never happen. Now he simultaneously feels somewhat comfortable and so very alone no matter what the year or era is.

**Go**

He wonders if he will ever know this body's limits. He kind of hopes he doesn't, because if he's pushed himself that far, he doesn't want to think about what kind of trouble the world would be in at that moment. Steve isn't concerned about himself; he's survived no-win situations and beatings in alleys. But if Captain America has reached that state, then he would rather not think about the condition of his teammates. Because if they were still relatively safe before he hits his limit, they won't be for long. And Steve refuses to not protect his own people.

**Natasha**

He is drawn to her at first because she reminds him of Peggy. Both women are deadly shots, both refuse to be limited or seen as less than because they wear skirts.

But there are differences between the two women, as well. Unlike Peggy, Natasha is bluntly honest. Steve was always second-guessing himself around Peggy, unsure of what her looks or cryptic responses meant. With Natasha, all you have to do is ask, and she's pretty straight forward about dispensing her opinion on whatever matter you want to discuss, as long as it doesn't reveal anything too personal about herself.

**Still**

He hates staying still, especially at night. It results in many late evenings taking his frustration out on a heavy bag in the gym. Because as long as he's moving, he's not stuck—he's not frozen. When he is still and lying in his bed, he feels the invisible cold start to creep in all over him. He can feel his muscles lock into place and imagines he can see his breath crystallize in the air. So instead of reliving that personal hell, he beats a bag until he's exhausted and then falls into bed praying for a dreamless sleep.


	92. Tony

**Tony**

He rarely answers to his name on the first or fifth time you call it. He's heard it shouted too many times by reporters and photographers to almost recognize the significance anymore; in public the shouts of "Tony" or "Mister Stark" are just white noise. It carries on in private, too. He has to remind himself that when he's inside the Tower, if someone is calling his name that means they want to talk to him. Or at least yell at him. Or ask him to fix the universal remote. Again. Seriously, people, it's not that hard to figure out.

**Time**

Tony and time don't see eye to eye. He's rarely done things at the normal age. Thanks to coffee, Tony excels at ignoring time and can buzz endlessly until an upgrade to an armor is finished or the schematics for a new prototype have been properly fleshed out.

Yet time is something Tony finds himself fighting over and over again: finding enough time in the cave to keep Yensin safe, making it stretch for as long as possible to be with Pepper when he thought he was dying, or making sure it doesn't run out before a nuke destroys Manhattan.

**Pepper**

He'd be lost without her, as would his company. Stark Industries would've gone bankrupt years ago from too many instances of Tony being bored and buying companies he only wanted and didn't need. But as for Tony himself? He would be nothing without her. Pepper is the reason he gets up in the morning, the reason he wants to be a better man. She keeps him sane and fed and smiling. She is the person who taught him what it feels like to be loved. And he will spend the rest of his days trying to thank her for that.

**Know**

There are only a couple of things that are laws in Tony's life—things that are certain and known. The first is that he is Stark, which means while he inherited a genius mind that operates at a level far above any of his peers, he also inherited alcoholism, a vicious temper, and a hard heart. He is also certain that he has to keep working until he dies because that is where his value lies. He supposes that comes from Howard, too; that belief that your success and worth can only be based on your latest invention or prototype.

**How**

Tony never bothers with asking how he got somewhere. He stopped that nonsense after too many instances of blacking out while attending MIT. Instead, he just goes with the flow of things. He doesn't waste time asking what things mean or why they happened; he just moves. It's easier that way. Because stopping to think about how things became the way they are sounds a lot like reflecting upon your actions and quite possibly having to take responsibility for them. And unless those actions involve a supermodel (pre-dating Pepper) or something really cool, Tony wants nothing to do with that.


	93. Team

**Clint & Natasha**

There have been plenty of times where one was prepared to die for the other, as well as plenty of times where one was prepared to murder the other. They have a secret language with several dialects that include foot taps, facial expressions, and hand gestures only they understand. Not that they really need it because after all they've been through together, they can practically read each other's minds. They are as close as two people can be; they breathe together, they fight together and for each other. They may be volatile as a couple but unstoppable as a team.

**Tony & Bruce**

Rarely do their conversations sound like they're spoken in English to anyone else around them. The reason for that is not only the high level of scientific content that flows through their speech, but also the fact that they've been working together long enough to develop their own kind of short hand. To be fair, Tony has always spoken in stunted, distracted sentences because there were too many things running through his mind. And now that habit of a speech pattern has apparently rubbed off on Bruce. But at least they can understand each other. Most of the time, anyway.

**Thor & Phil**

On occasion, the two men will stay up and discuss matters. Usually Phil is up late finishing paperwork while Thor is pacing about looking for a distraction from the fact that Jane isn't around. Their conversations vary from political systems to military strategies. Phil will tell Thor tales from the great World Wars and legends of the Roman Empire while Thor will in turn bestow upon the Son of Coul heroic tales of warriors long gone and honest insights of what it is like to be a part of his ruling family. They debate what it means to be honorable.

**Steve & Pepper**

Pepper calls him for dates whenever Tony has been driving her crazy. The first time she did it, Steve stammered through a speech about how he didn't want to be involved in anything inappropriate when it came to relationships. Pepper rolled her eyes, a move she can do just as well as Tony, and told him, "Not like that."

They go to museums and art galleries together. They go to the quiet places that Tony will never shut up in. It's obvious that Pepper loves Tony dearly, but it's nice every now and then to have a break from him.

**The Gang**

It does not take too long for them all to feel comfortable invading each other's spaces. They all know the signs each gives off when they want privacy, but for the most part they steal each other's leftovers, each other's blankets during movie night, and each other's free time. Before joining the team, most of them were solitary creatures. That has earned them some kind of special badge they can recognize in others. Those are the only people they will spend this much time with because they are the only ones who are most likely to understand and empathize things.


	94. Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, folks, this is it. The final set and it's a double one. This will bring the story to a total of 500 drabbles, which is nice round number for me. So that's where I'm ending things.
> 
> I started this as a way to get used to writing these lovely characters. In no version of reality did I believe I'd churn out 50,000 words of it in just over four months. Thank you all so much for reading your amazing reviews. Thank you for your support as I stepped back into this wonderful and tedious world of writing.

**Time**

Time is always something they seemed pressed for. There's never enough of it around when they're fighting someone evil, or suiting up and preparing to fight someone evil, or relaxing in between the battles with someone evil. There are chronic aches and pains that won't leave for some of them because extended time away from the madness in order to recuperate is not an option. But they never complain, not too much anyway. Because they know they're the only hope a lot of people have. So they try their best to make the most of the time they are given.

**One**

They came together as a team fairly quickly; certainly faster than anyone really thought possible, including the team members themselves. Eventually they forgive Coulson for his hand in the lie that bound them all together on that fateful day. They still give him crap about it from time to time.

None of them will ever forgive Fury. The main reason for that is because it is only a matter of time before the one-eyed bastard of a Director tries to pull some shady maneuver like that on them all again in order to get them to do what he wants.

**Thing**

They each have their own unique way of handling stress, individual methods of coping with the days where the victories came at too high of a cost, anniversaries of dark memories, or when the nature of the reality of their lives threatens to overwhelm them. There is running, knife sharpening, welding, drawing, meditating, and brooding to be done. And everyone knows well enough to give space to the person in that mental place simply because they know what an awful and ugly land that is to live in. And while misery loves company, no one should be subjected to it.

**Go**

They all leave from time to time, either as a team or as individuals. Those instances could be for solo missions, business trips, traveling the lecture circuit, attending to matters on their home planet, or just needing to take a break from the craziness. But they always come back.

Except when they don't. Those are the times where the job has worn them too far down or the chronic injuries become more than the can bare. Or they do come back, but it's in a body bag.

They all leave from time to time. And they all eventually stay gone.

**Day**

There is usually at least one of them awake for one reason or another to watch the sun come up in the morning. No matter who it is, they all seem to take a moment to watch the sun cast its red and pink hues across the glittering metal structure of Manhattan. They're all appreciative of the peace and beauty of the scene and burn it into their memory. It's not often when they're working that they get to see the city as a piece of art but rather as something that once again is in the need of rehabilitation.

**Know**

There were a number of times when one of them was captured and taken as a prisoner or hostage. That individual would sit in whatever tiny, dark place that was deemed their cage or cell without a clue as to how they were going to survive or escape. But they always knew their team members were going to do everything to get them home.

And they did—always. They're always brought home. Sometimes pieces of them are left behind, mentally or physically. And there was the one instance when it was only a recovery mission, but they're always brought home.

**Just**

Defining the word "good" is a constant battle for all of them. There are plenty in New York and the world who see them as heroes and will never waiver from that opinion. There are always plenty of people in the middle who change their mind depending on whoever on either end of the opinion spectrum is speaking the loudest that day. And then there are always those that spew nothing but ill words at the Avengers. The ones who firmly believe they do just as much, if not more, damage than good—the ones who are hard to ignore.

**Get**

Some of the best days they have together as a team are Upgrade Days: new tech, new suits, and new things to play with. Field testing is a happy release in a job filled with stress and violence and they make the most of it. The good thing about having Tony Stark on the team is that Upgrade Days happen several times a month, at least in the weapons categories. They've all seen the various armored suits the genius produces, and they are all quite alright with Stark not having a hand in designing the rest of their tactical gear.

**How**

Questioning how saving the world from things like giant robots, mutant sea creatures, aliens, raging mad scientists, and objects magically imbued with sentience becoming a normal part of your life is a terrifying an useless way to spend your time, so most of them don't usually even bother. There are easier ways to cope like busting open punching bags, kicking things, ignoring reality, forgetting about things by watching reality television marathons, or slowly killing your liver with the finest alcohol money can buy. Seeing the psych department could help, but that is usually seen as a waste of time, too.

**Still**

When they eventually reach old age, those of them that survive long enough to see that piece of their lifespan at least, this will always be remembered as one of the greatest eras of their lives. It will be memorialized as a time of great feats and great friends. A time when they did their best to serve a purpose for good and protect those around them incapable of looking out for themselves. There will be the memories of laughter, inside jokes, mourning together, surviving together, and simply being there for one another as best as any of them could.


End file.
